


Our Eyes Lock to the Tide

by spirithorse



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: M/M, Selkies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-21 21:16:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 38,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11952795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spirithorse/pseuds/spirithorse
Summary: Camlann and Elysia are two towns, sometimes filled with people, mostly filled with seals. Sorey, an archaeologist and, when he has to be, marine biologist, finds himself dealing with both when Mikleo and the seal LR15 come into his life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I did that [one selkie fic](http://eachainn.tumblr.com/post/164330994589/rose-made-her-way-across-the-dunes-heading-for) and got the urge to write how Sorey and Mikleo met. Title taken from the song _Anchor_ by Novo Amor

 

“Oh.”

Sorey looked up at the sound of someone talking, freezing when he saw the young man standing in the doorway clutching at a box. He went still, distantly aware of the finger he still had pressed against the section of the book he had been reading.

He was used to interruptions in the office, it came with the territory. They worked as the preservation team for both the archaeologically important sites and the seals that called Mabinogio Bay their home. But he was used to seeing Sergei standing at the door, looking sheepish and asking for a hand around the Institute. He wasn’t prepared for anyone else, especially not cute men clutching boxes. Sorey was suddenly aware that his shirt was probably not clean, in fact he had worn it the day before. His hair was probably a mess too, Sorey remembered running his hands through it at least once. And then there was the pen in his mouth.

Sorey reached up to jerk it out, giving the young man a wide smile. He held the pen awkwardly for a moment before dropping it onto his desk. Sorey wiped his hand on his shirt, hoping that it was on a clean spot. He held out his hand, belatedly remembering the box that the young man was carrying. “Oh I’m…I’m sorry.”

“No. No. You’re fine.” The young man hesitated for a moment before nodding to him and starting to walk into the room.

Sorey kicked his chair in, standing close to his desk as the young man inched his way into the room. Sorey glanced around the office space, swallowing at the state of it.

It wasn’t as messy as it could be, but that was because they had just finished up one project and moved into a new one. The boxes of new pamphlets, books and other informational materials had been moved out in preparation for tourist season. He hadn’t gotten the chance to spread his own research out again, and it was probably for the best.

He cleared his throat as the young man set his box down, biting his lip when he reached up to fix his ponytail. Sorey took a few deep breaths, managing a smile when the man looked back up at him. He was not prepared for the smile that he was given in return.

Sorey sucked in a quick breath, all of his five languages deserting him. He was sure that he looked like an idiot just staring at the other man, and it was that more than anything that got him to at least try. “Uh, hello. I’m Sorey Önder.”

He stuck out his hand, relieved when the young man reached out to shake it. For a moment, he was sure that he had spoken in the older Elysian dialect, or worse, the Ancient Tongue.

The young man shook his hand, his grip firm and steady while his eyes sparkled with interest. “Doctor Önder! It’s a pleasure to meet you. I enjoy the work you’ve done on legends.” The young man gave his hand one last shake before dropping his hand away. “I’m Mikleo Rulay.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mikleo. And it’s just Sorey, please.”

Mikleo looked him up and down carefully, Sorey trying his best not to squirm under the look. He wasn’t sure that he managed it, but Mikleo didn’t give him any hints. He just turned away and started looking through his stuff. “I see you’ve been keeping the office clean while I was gone.”

Sorey glanced around, laughing nervously. “Not as such but…” He paused, turning the words over in his head. “Is this _your_ office?”

“Not as such. It’s just always where Sergei puts me when I’m at home.” Mikleo paused, jerking his head out towards the window. Sorey followed the motion, staring out at the island of Elysia sitting primly out in the bay.

He felt a quick rush of fear, because he had written about the legends of Elysia. He had met plenty of Elysians before, he couldn’t have come to Camlann without meeting them with the way that the two towns interacted. The problem was, he’d never met any of them who had read his work. All of them were more than willing to talk to him about some of their legends and answer his questions, but most of them had never been interested in any of the follow up. That hadn’t stopped him from being respectful, but working knowing that most of them would never read it and coming across someone had were two different things. Sorey was sure that he had something to apologize about, but he didn’t get the chance.

There was a knock on the door, Sorey spinning around to face it. To his relief, Sergei was standing there, interrupting any aborted attempts at conversation that he would try to have.

Sergei gave the two of them a long look before nodding at Mikleo. “It’s good to have you back. PhD done?”

“Finally.” Mikleo sighed with relief, Sorey carefully not looking over at him as he stretched. “I was sure something else would interrupt me this time, but I managed it.”

“You just had a run of bad luck.”

“I’m not sure I’d call the worst winter storm in a hundred years bad luck.”

Sergei coughed at that, Sorey wincing in sympathy. He hadn’t been in Camlann during the last bad storm, he’d been back at home in Lohgrin sitting through another conference. It was something he hadn’t enjoyed during his short stint as a professor. He wanted to show off the wonders of the ancient ruins of Glenwood, but sitting in conferences and teaching bored students hadn’t quite been enough. He wanted to be out there with the ruins themselves, not sitting behind a desk.

Sorey gave his desk a rueful look. He was hardly there for more than a few hours every day, because there was always something to keep their attention; the ruins that surrounded Camlann or Elysia or the Elysian seals themselves. Sorey had gotten lucky that they were in the rare lull between the winter and the upcoming tourist season, because it had allowed him to work with some of the artifacts without having to take too many breaks. But, if Sergei was there, then it meant his blissful time among the artifacts was being interrupted, not that he minded.

Sure enough Sergei cleared his throat and, when he spoke, it was with his serious voice. “We need to check over the sites before the tourists come in and decide which one can be shown to divers.”

“Right.” Sorey stepped forward, feeling the familiar rush that came every time they went to dive. It didn’t matter that he had been working at the Institute for nearly three years, it was still exciting.

He stepped forward to walk with Sergei to where their dive equipment was stored, pausing when he realized that Mikleo wasn’t following. He turned to look at him, reaching out to hold onto the door. “Are you coming, Mikleo?”

Mikleo gave him a wry smile before gesturing to his ear. “I would but I’ve got inner ear problems. Anything under a couple of feet down I can’t handle. Ironic, right?”

Sorey chuckled, his heart pounding as he heard Mikleo do the same. It was a nice sound, and that was dangerous. He shifted in place, surprised when Mikleo just waved him on. “You go out and do your checks. I’ll hold down the fort.”

Sorey nodded, giving Mikleo one last look before heading out of the door. It was slightly embarrassing that it was so hard to leave him, but Mikleo was so very pretty and Sorey could see the edge of a familiar book as Mikleo unpacked. Sorey quickly turned away, forcing himself to walk out the door.

They needed to check on the ruins before the tourist season hit, and it was a good day to do it. From past experience it would take a few days to cover the extensive network of them. If he stayed, then he would be sure to get pulled into a discussion, not that it was a bad thing. There was just a time and a place for it and, considering that they would be sharing an office, there would be plenty of time for that.

Sorey smiled to himself as he walked out into the hallway, just barely keeping himself from laughing like an idiot. It was something that he didn’t want to explain, not when he was sure that it would be around the office in no time at all, and he wasn’t ready for that. He wanted to at least have a chance to talk to Mikleo properly before the teasing started.

* * *

Sorey carefully maneuvered his way through the grand entryway of the Mabinogio temple. He glanced from side to side, swimming slowly to get a better look at the structure. From his observations, he could see that the temple hadn’t suffered too badly from the winter storms. All of the columns that they had marked as standing the autumn before were still up; only two of the great pillars were resting on the bay’s floor. All in all, it was in better condition than the area that they were tentatively calling the harbor. Then again, that had been constructed mostly of wood.

He angled himself upward, trying to get a good view of the overall structure. Mabinogio always seemed to hold up well, like it had the protection that the Elysians always said it did. When compared to the rest of the sunken city, Sorey was almost ready to believe it. Even with the legends, the whole city in the bay was remarkably well preserved and stable compared to the other sites that Sorey had seen.

He turned in place, looking at the delicate carvings of shells and other sea life that adorned the pillars. He swam closer, smiling around his respirator when he found one of the ever present seals. From everything he had seen, Old Mabinogio was just like modern Camlann and Elysia. Sometimes filled with people, mostly filled with seals.

Sorey backed away from the pillar, looking at the old temple. He had been assigned the area over the next few days while Sergei and Boris took the other sections of Mabinogio. It would take them a few days to cover it, but the work was worth doing if they were going to preserve the site. Besides, a majority of the old city was on land, little bits and pieces of the grand city that the ancient Elysians had built scattered through Camlann. It was more than enough for him, but tourists wanted to see something more impressive than the foundations of homes and shops or an arrangement of what they suspected was either an outdoor market or some sort of ceremonial plaza. They wanted to see the long avenues and columns. They wanted to see a grand temple that was built like Palamides Temple in Haria.

He swam closer to the temple itself, looking at the entrance before swimming in. As always, the grand entry hall took his breath away. Sorey twisted onto his back, looking up at the ceiling. It was decorated to look like a clam shell, Sorey tracing the careful lines to the pinnacle of the room where a huge opening to the sky continued to let in the water. They still weren’t sure if there had been glass there or it had been left open to the sky.  Either would work, although they had never found any shards of glass. They had found the remains of a large chalice like the one down in Palamides, which would make the open oculus idea make sense. In a temple dedicated to the Great Lord of Water, it would only make sense to allow the rain to fall into the temple itself.

Sorey made his way down to the center of the room, glancing from side to side. There were two doors to the sides, but they couldn’t be opened. The decorative columns that had stood to either side of them had fallen down, which just meant that he would have to go around the long way to check out the rooms to make sure that none of them were close to falling. It didn’t matter that the tourists were only taken into the grand first room, it was his job to make sure the whole thing was secure.

He turned back over to his stomach, pausing when he saw something bob out from the hole where the chalice once stood. Sorey watched as a seal peered out from the edge of the hole. Its whiskery face appeared for a moment before it ducked back down.

Sorey stared at the hole in the floor before shrugging to himself. It wasn’t rare to see the Elysian seal in the ruins. It was stranger not to considering that the species completely dominated the Mabinogio Bay. What was rare was to see a seal that he didn’t recognize.

The Elysian seal population was low, only a forty individuals at most. After working for three years at the Institute he was sure that he knew all of them.

He watched as the seal bobbed out of the hole again, the seal venturing further out this time. Sorey looked over its pattern of spots, trying to match them to any of the other seals, but he couldn’t. This one was new, but it was obviously an Elysian seal. Its fur had the strange sheen that all of them did, this one looking slightly blue tinted in the water. Sorey wracked his brain for any blue tinted young seals, but he couldn’t match this seal’s pattern with any of the ones he knew.

Sorey gave up, watching as the seal swam through the main hall. It moved hesitantly, more than he expected from an Elysian seal. Usually they were curious enough to swim close. Then again, this one might have been away from the safer waters of the bay, which meant that it had learned to be wary.

The seal swam back and forth it front of him, slowly getting closer until it was an arms’ length away from him. The seal tipped his head to the side, studying Sorey for a long time. Sorey held himself as still as possible, not wanting to frighten the seal away. Since this seal was new he would eventually have to snap a picture, but he wanted the seal to relax first. Once it started ignoring him he would be able to get a good picture of its markings. As soon as he was back at the Institute he could check it against the other pictures.

Sorey tensed when the seal suddenly covered the distance between them. He found himself making eye contact with the seal, a shiver running down his spine. Eye contact between wild animals was a threat. It didn’t matter that the Elysian seals seemed to prefer it sometimes, it was still strange, especially when it was held purposefully.

The seal held his gaze for a moment more before bobbing downward to nudge at his hand. Sorey uncurled it automatically, surprised when the seal gently took his hand in his mouth. The seal looked up at him before twisting around. Sorey had to move with him, taking the chance to try and wiggle his hand free. The hold was gentle but firm, and Sorey didn’t think he could get free without pulling hard. He didn’t think that the seal would take kindly to him starting to pull back, especially when Sorey was sure that the seal was stronger than him. It was easier to just let the seal guide him over to the opening in the floor.

The seal looked back at him before diving down, Sorey following after him. He fumbled for his light as they moved out of the range of the hole, turning it on to shine it around.

The rooms under the great hall had mostly been used for small ceremonies because the room was smaller and felt more private. That didn’t stop it from being luxuriously decorated like the rest of the temple. Sorey looked around at the carvings at the top of the room.

They told the story of Amenoch and the island, although it was hard to tell about when they stopped. Most of the Elysian history was oral and didn’t coincide with the Greater Glenwood Calendar. Dates or not, it was a good record of their history mixed in with their legends. When he could get the chance, Sorey loved coming down into the ceremony room. There was always something new to find, especially since he was the only one focused on the history of the place. The carvings were partially cataloged, and something that he worked on when he had the time, which was mostly during the winter.

Sorey’s gaze moved to the grand carving of Amenoch in the center of the far wall. The god was represented as hermaphrodite, their legs transforming into an orca whale tail. The orca patterns continued up Amenoch’s body. Flanking the god were a pod of seals, all of them swimming up and spreading out to different rows of carving, spreading the god’s word to their people. All of the seals were distinct, Sorey tempted to follow a few of the seals that he hadn’t gotten to the last time he had come down, but he didn’t get the chance.

The seal tugged at his hand again, Sorey turning to look at the seal as he was let go. The seal gave him a steady look before flipping onto his back and diving down. Sorey held himself in place, watching as the seal swam close to the wall.

The seal skimmed along the wall, his head bobbing as it looked over the carvings. He flipped over his own back, heading back down next row of carvings. Something must have caught his attention because the seal wiggled in the water before turning to look back at Sorey. He bobbed his head, eventually rolling to the side and waving his flipper when Sorey didn’t move.

Sorey cautiously made his way over, surprised when the seal let him get close. The seal didn’t even seem to notice, his attention on the bank of carvings partially covered by one of the great columns.

Sorey gave the column a careful glance before wedging himself in the space behind the column. He felt the seal brush against him, fully prepared for the seal to bite or claw at him for getting too close, but the seal just twisted around him. Sorey looked over his shoulder, watching as the seal rolled playfully over his tanks and back into the open. Sorey watched as the seal rolled a few more times before heading off to another part of the room. He was surprised to see the seal heading for another row of carvings, slowing down as he twisted his head to look at them. From his past experiences seals were curious, but they weren’t usually this curious.

Sorey shook his head, chalking it up as something else that he would have to as Sergei. After all, the twin brothers were the ones with degrees in marine biology. He was the lone archaeologist on the team, although they were all cross trained. Hyland might call the seals and the ruins national treasures, but they weren’t going to shell out the funds needed to run the two parts of the Institute separately.

He turned his attention back to the carving behind the column. He wasn’t sure why he was looking at it, other than a seal had taken the time to lead him to it. After all seals were considered to be Amenoch’s messengers and he was in the god’s temple. It would be rude to ignore something like this.

Sorey kicked himself forward, raising his light to look at the carvings on the wall. He scanned them over, his eyes widening when he realized what he was looking at.

It was part of an Elysian trickster story, when the Great Thunderer had snuck up on the Great Humpback Whale and stole his ability to call the storms. It was a story that he had heard many times, but he had never seen it drawn out.

He nearly dropped his light, Sorey just barely remembering to clip it back in place before reaching for the camera. It wouldn’t take long to snap a few pictures of the carvings before going back to his check around the temple. After all, he had just published a paper about the similarities in trickster mythology and this had been one of the tales that he had examined.

Sorey made his way down the carving, snapping pictures until he reached the conch and fish combination that marked the end of all the stories in the room. He lingered over the end of it, shaking his head at the carving of a seal who was screaming into a storm before turning to look back at the room.

The seal was gone, not that he had expected it to linger if it was a real seal at all. He may have been a historian and a self-taught biologist, but there was nothing wrong with having a healthy dose of superstition, especially when he worked with mythologies. The seal had felt real enough, but it was almost fitting that it had disappeared. Or it had gone up for air.

Sorey shrugged to himself and swam up from the ceremonial room. He had spent enough time on his own research. He glanced down at his watch, nodding to himself. He had about two hours to look through the temple before he had to go back to the boat.

He looked up at the large, open door at the end of the grand room. He would be able to get through the rest of the temple through there and begin his inspection of the rooms. Hopefully they had all weathered the winter storms well, or else Sorey was sure that he would be spending most of his time diving to shore them up, which was always nerve wracking work.

Sorey twisted to look back at the entrance of the temple, his eyes widening as he saw the same seal swimming back in. He drifted in place, surprised when the seal approached him without hesitation. The seal looped easily around him, meeting his gaze for a moment before heading for the door. About halfway down the room the seal twisted back on itself, looking at him upside down. The seal hung there for a moment before wiggling its flippers, the motion managing to somehow be impatient.

He watched the seal for a moment longer before shaking his head. Sorey kicked forward, watching as the seal rolled back over before darting off through the door. Sorey followed after it, watching as the seal kept glancing back to see if he was following.

The Elysian seals were a law unto themselves, and any information on how the seals behaved were important. Besides, Sorey wouldn’t say no to a companion while he was looking through the ruin, especially one that apparently had such a good eye for carvings.

* * *

Sorey pressed his mouth into the crook of his arm, smothering the yawn there. He shook his head, turning his attention back to the clipboard that he was holding. He peered at it for a moment before sighing and starting to walk around the small museum.

There wasn’t much in it, but there wasn’t too much space to work with. Sorey hadn’t been there when they had extended the Institute to take over the old fishing sheds that were too decrepit to use. It had altered the shape of the Institute but Sorey was sure that it was for the better. It helped take care of some of their stores, moving some of the old seal watching equipment and artifacts from storage to where the public and tourists could see them.

The local museum had taken advantage of the move as well. Sorey had come in those early days of construction, and he had spent his first weeks in Camlann walking through old storage rooms, sorting out artifacts with volunteers. Most of the museum was his design as well, although Sorey was sure that it had changed. While Alisha had been very thankful for what he had set up, she had her own vision for the place and Sorey was not about to interfere. He had enough on his plate at the Institute between data input and taking care of the artifacts.

He leaned over a case, looking at the sensors on the inside. All of them were lit up, which meant that they were functioning. Sorey checked the display off on his list before turning his attention to what was there. He had a few exhibits that he wanted to update and rotate out, although the display of old fishing nets and tools was not one of them.

He rolled his head, hissing when he felt his neck crack. He reached up to rub at it, digging his fingers into the knots he found. It wasn’t enough to coax them out, but it was enough to relieve some of the ache. Sorey rolled his neck again and focused on his list. There were only a few more things along this wall before he could make his way down the last wall of the museum, and then he’d been almost done for the night. He swallowed, not daring to look down at his watch.

Sorey was sure that he hadn’t stayed too late, Lailah and the Strelka twins had gone home when he was on the short wall of the rectangular museum.  But that still meant that he had spent most of his day staring at his clipboard and making notes.

Sorey sighed and looked up, smiling when he saw Mikleo lingering by the entrance to the small museum. Sorey looked back on it, his gaze immediately going to the fragment of totem pole that was carefully cordoned off in the center of the museum. His gaze drifted up to the top where the orca-human combination that usually denoted Amenoch looked serenely out at everyone. His gaze looked down the pole to the two other creatures that had made it on the fragment, the solemn seal and the person. The start of an orca could just be seen, but anything below that had been destroyed in the storm that had knocked the pole over.

He looked back at Mikleo, shifting nervously the longer that Mikleo stared. He dropped his gaze to the clipboard, trying to keep his voice steady. “What do you think?”

Mikleo didn’t respond for a while, Sorey flinching and looking up. To his surprise, Mikleo had moved over to the jewelry case that was towards the front of the museum. He had a fond smile on his face, that expression more than anything drawing him forward.

Mikleo remained silent until he came up to look at the jewelry. Then he tapped the case over one of the ornate necklaces. “I recognize that. It’s my mother’s work.”

Sorey’s eyes widened, his gaze dropping to the placard on display with the jewelry. They were all replicas because the originals were too fragile to display, and they had all been done by a local Elysian, Muse Rulay. Sorey breathed out as he connected the last names. He had read the name as he had scanned the placards just to make sure that everything had been properly labeled.

At a loss of what to do, he just nodded. “They’re beautiful.”

“They are. She always loves doing this kind of thing.” Mikleo stroked his fingers over the case. “She kept sending me pictures of these while she was working on them to make sure they were accurate. I had wondered where they had gotten to.”

“Here.” Sorey winced as soon as he had spoken. It was obvious that they were here, but there was nothing he could do to take it back. He rushed to say something else. “They’re in the town museum too.”

“Really?” Mikleo perked up, but his attention didn’t move away from the jewelry. “I might have to stop by and see them, when things slow down.”

Sorey chuckled, coming around to lean his shoulder against the wall. “You kind of got thrown into the deep end.”

Mikleo shrugged. “It’s part of living here, so you get used to it. Like the tides…” Mikleo looked up at him with a smile. “I worked here every summer, even before I could technically work here. It was all so fascinating, it still is. And it’s good to see some of this stuff here instead of being stored away. I’m told that it’s down to you.”

Sorey blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. “They had already decided to make a museum when I came here.”

“But you were the one who set it all up. And I have to congratulate you, it’s a good job.”

“It could be better if there was more space.”

Mikleo laughed, Sorey swallowing hard at the sound. It was beautiful, and it made him want to lean in closer. He pressed his shoulder against the wall to keep him in place.

Mikleo shook his head. “That’s what everyone says though. If you had all the space and money in the world you would be able to make a great museum, but I think it means a bit more when you don’t.” Mikleo took a deep breath, looking around. “It might not all be here but you really get a feel for it, at least what the Institute does. And it’s good to see that being used.”

He gestured to the totem pole, Sorey glad for the distraction. He looked over his shoulder at it, giving the ragged piece of wood a smile. “Everyone likes the totem pole.”

“It is impressive, even if it is one fourth of its former glory.”

Mikleo moved away from him to look at the totem pole, Sorey breathing a sigh of relief as his attention moved away. He tipped his head to the side, leaning against the wall. Sorey took a few deep breaths before shifting on the wall to look at Mikleo.

The man was circling the totem pole, Mikleo pausing to look at the carved seal for a moment. Mikleo tipped his head to the side, Sorey following the fall of some of his hair. He swallowed, his fingers twisting with the urge to tuck it back into place, or pull Mikleo hair from his ponytail completely. Sorey pushed the thought back, glad to have something distract his attention when Mikleo spoke up again. “What are you doing here so late? Everyone else went home already.”

“I know. I just wanted to get some last checks done and finish up some of the artifacts before I have to put them away for the tourist season.”

Mikleo hummed, looking around the small museum. “If I remember correctly, there are about five groups of artifacts that need to be done. It’ll take you all week.”

“It’s alright, I’ve done it before.”

Mikleo huffed. “That’s not my point. The point is that you’re not the only historian working here anymore.”

“But,” Sorey clutched the clipboard to his chest, “you just got back. It’s not fair to throw you right into tourist season.”

“So it’s better to do this alone?”

“I…” Sorey stared at him for a moment before giving in and shaking his head. It was always a rush for the tourist season, and he was always afraid to leave things half done. Lailah was very helpful, but she had her own tasks to deal with, which left him on his own.

He bit his lip, looking around. He knew that it would take him about another half an hour in the museum and then he didn’t know how long it would take him to get through the first artifact group, which was his goal for the night. Then there was the walk home to the house on the beach. The pull of the artifacts was strong, but so was his bed. But there was another kind of pull.

Mikleo had been in Camlann for a week, but Sorey had rarely seen him between the dives to check the ruins. He’s rarely seen Lailah or the Strelka twins. The only living thing he’d seen often was the Elysian seal that had decided to keep him company on his dives. He’d gotten used to having the seal at his side, so used to it that working without someone there was lonely.

It was more than that too, because it was a chance to work with Mikleo. Better yet, Mikleo was offering and it was hard to refuse that.

Sorey gave in with a nod. “Thank you.”

Mikleo laughed, moving away from the totem pole. “You say that like I’m not doing this for myself too.” Mikleo paused, pressing a hand over his mouth. Sorey saw the start of a blush over Mikleo’s hand, feeling his mouth go dry. He didn’t get too long to linger over it, Mikleo clearing his throat and looking away. “I’ve read a lot of what you’ve written and I’ve been wanting to talk to you, but things kept interfering.”

Sorey nodded, struggling for words. The only think he could manage was what he remembered Sergei telling him. “Bad storms and your uncle?”

He expected Mikleo to nod and try to change the topic, but he just groaned and ran a hand down his face. Sorey winced, about to apologize when Mikleo shook his head. “Uncle Michael is single reason it took me three years longer to get this doctorate.”

“Was he sick?” Sorey almost hated himself for asking the question, but he had to know. It seemed like every time he saw Michael there was another part of him in a cast.

To his relief, Mikleo shook his head. “He’s unobservant. It’s a bad thing to be when you like exploring ruins.”

“Oh…” It wasn’t the best thing to say, but it was the only thing that came to mind. Sorey drumming his fingers against the back of the clipboard. He looked down at the papers, scanning down his line of checkmarks. The museum inspection was a one person job, especially since it was so small, but he didn’t want to just send Mikleo away to do nothing.

He played with a rough edge of the clipboard before sighing and looking up at Mikleo. “How do we want to do this?”

Mikleo looked surprised, but then he grinned. He glanced around the museum, Sorey sure that he saw longing on Mikleo’s face. It was quickly replaced with a serious look. “You finish up here and I’ll meet you back in the office with tea?”

Sorey nodded, trying to ignore the way that his heart started pounding faster. “Don’t start without me.”

Mikleo shot him a look over his shoulder, Sorey seeing his eyes widen slightly before his expression settled into a smile. “Don’t make me wait too long then.”

Sorey nodded, sure that Mikleo didn’t even see it; he was already walking back to their office. Sorey breathed out a sigh of relief, leaning back against the wall. He clutched the clipboard to his chest, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to calm himself down.

It was just the two of them getting things done that desperately needed to be finished before the main rush of tourists came in. It wasn’t anything more despite the circumstances. The two of them were the only historians, so it made sense that they were the ones staying late. It was nothing else, no matter how much he wanted it to be.

Sorey swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut as he counted backwards from ten. Mikleo had only been back in Camlann for a week. It only made sense to give him the time to settle. Maybe once the rush was done he could consider something, but not before that.

He took a few more deep breaths before opening his eyes. He stared back across the museum, looking at the few cases scattered along the walls. He had to finish them up if he wanted to spend any time with Mikleo, and that was almost enough to get him to rush. He didn’t want to risk Mikleo starting without him. On the other hand, the museum was his responsibility, so he needed to do it right.

Sorey nodded to himself, squaring his shoulders as he pushed away from the wall. He only had a few cases left, then he could commit himself to an evening with Mikleo.

* * *

Sorey stretched his arms above his head as he walked outside. He took a deep breath of the sea air, letting it out slowly.

Mornings on the beach were always peaceful, a strange sort of peace that settled deep into his bones and made him breathe a bit more easily. There was nothing but the sound of the seabirds and the waves crashing against the shore. It was all slow activity and a gentle waking up, nothing like Lohgrin. In the desert the morning was used to get things done before the heat of the day chased them all inside until the sun had started to set. Sorey enjoyed the slower mornings of Camlann, but he still missed the slow afternoons that came from Lohgrin. He chuckled and leaned his shoulder against one of the porch posts.

He was sure that it was going to be a big adjustment when he eventually went back home to visit his mother. He had just broken himself of the habit of taking a nap during the heat of the day.

Sorey shook his head, looking down the boardwalk that led out to where the skiff was tied. It was hard to get around Camlann or Elysia without having a boat, which had been fun when he had first arrived. Sorey was sure that Boris still had a video of him trying to figure out how to use the sail and whacking himself on the back of his head.

He reached back to rub the back of his head, smiling ruefully. He wasn’t as good as most of the locals, but Sorey counted it as a victory that he could get around without a problem.

He turned slightly to look back towards Camlann. His house was on one of the further edges of the town, but it was still only a five minute walk to the center. Brad was the only one who lived further out. Sorey twisted to look down at the boathouse that was floating at anchor. From what he could see, it would be beached within the hour, not that Brad would care. He would probably already be down in Sparrowfeather’s helping Rose.

Sorey shook his head, reaching up to pat the post. He was about to turn around and head back into the house when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He paused to lean on the railing, watching as a seal galumphed up the boardwalk. It looked completely focused as it moved up towards him. It was only when it got closer that Sorey could see that it was carrying a fish in its mouth.

It took until the seal got closer for Sorey to recognize which one it was. Sorey chuckled and leaned on the porch railing. After spending the past few days diving in the temple, he was very familiar with the pattern of spots on the seal’s back and the blueish sheen on the seal’s fur.

He’d looked through the records and found the seal’s file. It just had behavior patterns and the seal’s official designation number. There hadn’t been a nickname scrawled at the bottom of the page like the others, which had confused him. Almost all of the Elysian seals had nicknames, almost from the moment that they were born. Then again, this one had seemed to start to roam as soon as it was a young adult, leaving the safety of the bay and coming back every few years.

Sorey watched the seal bounce closer, ready for the long look that he was given. The seal considered him for a moment before awkwardly turning around to settle in a patch of sunlight.

The seal sighed as it settled down, Sorey laughing and leaned further over the railing. “Time for breakfast?”

He was treated to a serious look before the seal went to work on the fish. The seal nibbled delicately at it, apparently feeling safe enough to take his time in eating. Sorey smiled, pushing away from the railing. He settled back on the chair on the porch, the seal stopping to look at him. Sorey made a vague motion, not sure that it even mattered because the seal went back to eating.

Sorey stretched his arms over his head, letting them rest there against the back of the chair. He still had a while before he had to head into work, but he had gotten into the habit of going in early, just to get things done. But there was no reason to now. He smiled at the memory, looking up to stare at the roof of his porch.

Working early and late had never been something that he had hated. It had been nice to focus on his own field for a change instead of doing a bit of everything. Sometimes he felt that there wasn’t enough time in the day for the artifacts, but he had always managed it by staying busy before. Besides, it was nice to just open the window and listen to the sounds of the ocean so close while he had worked on his artifacts and reports. It was even better when Mikleo was there with him.

He smiled and leaned back into the chair. He enjoyed their conversations and the jokes. If Sorey was really hopeful about it, he would have called it flirting. But he wouldn’t get his hopes up like that. Whatever it was, it was fun and he didn’t want it to stop. Sorey was sure that it wouldn’t, but the moments that they would get to themselves would be all spread out because of the oncoming rush.

Sorey sighed and dropped his arms down. He lowered his gaze from the top of the porch, jumping a bit when he realized that the seal had moved. The seal had obviously finished with his fish and had come close enough that Sorey could feel the seal’s breath against his leg.

Sorey breathed out slowly, letting himself slouch in the chair. He expected the seal to back up, but the seal just moved his head so his nose was resting against Sorey’s knee. The seal sniffed his knee before shifting so he was between his legs, looking steadily up at Sorey.

He watched the seal for a moment before he sighed and shook his head. It was almost natural to talk to seals now, everyone in Camlann and Elysia did it. After three years in the town, it was almost strange not to direct his questions towards the seals that were lying around. Sorey looked the seal up and down before shrugging. “How do you know when another seal likes you?”

The seal gave him a derisive snort, his whole body moving with the noise. If Sorey didn’t know better, he would have thought that the seal’s gaze turned a bit scathing.

Sorey nodded, curling his fingers around the end of the arm rests. “Yeah, I thought so. It’s probably just as complicated.” Sorey looked the seal over before shrugging. “But I think you’ll do alright. I’m not too sure about me.”

The seal tipped his head, Sorey tensing as the seal rested his head against his leg. The seal looked up at him with soulful eyes, Sorey not sure if it was supposed to be comforting and commiserating, it was hard to tell. Still, the support was welcome, and it was almost enough to make him reach down and touch the seal, but he didn’t dare. The seal might be comfortable with this, but anything else might set him off and Sorey didn’t feel like getting bitten. Besides, he could already hear the lecture that Sergei would give him.

Sorey relaxed slowly, raising an eyebrow at the way that the seal seemed to be very comfortable leaning against him. The seal swayed in place, looking like he was going to try and get closer, but there wasn’t anywhere for him to go. He was already pressed against the front of the chair, something that seemed to annoy the seal because he made an affronted noise.

The seal backed up, looking up at Sorey before stretching out his neck to rest the tip of his nose against Sorey’s leg. The seal let it sit there for a moment, Sorey watching his eyes dart around in indecision. It took the seal a moment before it decided what it wanted to do, Sorey startling a bit when it made a distinctive kiss noise.

The seal was moving before he had time to question it, Sorey watching as he galumphed off of the porch and down the boardwalk at high speed. Sorey stood up to watch until the seal slid into the water, shaking his head.

That was a new one for an Elysian seal. They would make noise for the tourists, but never something as specific as that.

Sorey reached down to touch the place where the seal had rested his nose, rubbing the spot before shaking his head. He had asked a question and, strangely enough, he had gotten an answer. Just what Sorey felt about that answer he didn’t know and he didn’t really want to think about it.

He sighed and glanced at his watch before shrugging. It was still early, but there was no harm in heading to the Institute. There was always something to be done and there was always the chance that Mikleo would be in early as well.

Sorey smiled to himself, pushing up from the chair. Somehow, the chance to spend more time with Mikleo had gotten just as exciting as the chance to work with all of the artifacts, and he couldn’t see a problem with that.

* * *

“Posters?”

“Box to your left.” Sorey set another box on the counter, nudging it into place with his hip. He turned around to take the next box from Mikleo, hearing Lailah tearing into the first box behind him. He flashed a grin at Mikleo, something warm unfurling in his chest as Mikleo smiled back. It was enough to get him to fumble with the box, Sorey holding tightly to it.

He twisted to put it back on the counter, breathing a sigh of relief. It was short lived, because Lailah was giving him one of her knowing looks. Sorey blushed, quickly looking away from her. It was easier to stare at the top of the counter, and look over the careful piles of things that they were laying out. Everything looked like it was ready for the next round that the Strelka twins would make except…

“Ma-” He cut himself off as he saw the already opened box that Mikleo was holding. Sorey pushed back a flap, looking down at the supply of maps. He nodded and stepped out of the way, letting Mikleo deliver the maps to Lailah.

She barely looked up from her careful unpacking, Lailah sorting things into already opened boxes at a rate that surprised Sorey. Then again, she had been doing this all of her life. The system was hers too, everything packaged up for delivery to certain points in the town. Most of it was either going to the real estate company that owned most of the beach houses or the three bed and breakfasts that operated in the area. There were a few shops that would get some too, but all of those were always taken care of by the Strelka twins as they made their rounds of the beaches to check on the seals. Everything that was in the visitor center part of the Institute was Lailah’s domain. Usually he would be in the back frantically finishing up the artifacts that they had pulled for their museum and the small museum in town but he had gotten all of it done already. Having Mikleo around had been an unexpected boon in that way.  It left the two of them at loose ends as soon as everything was organized.

He nudged one of the more precariously balanced boxes into a more secure place, dropping his hand away when Lailah looked his way. She gave him a slightly exhausted smile before twisting around to glance at the clock. She made a surprised sound, shaking her head. “Lunch already? I could have sworn…” She sighed and made an impatient motion in his direction. “Off with the two of you.”

Mikleo was quick to peel off, but Sorey lingered behind. The reception desk was still covered in boxes and, Lailah’s domain or not, an extra pair of hands had to be welcome. He took a step forward only to be stopped by the shooing motion she made.

“Go on, before we forget again. And, while you’re out, check on the boat. Sergei said that it was ready to go but he was running out when he said it.”

Sorey opened his mouth to argue, but he was quick to snap it shut. There was no arguing with Lailah, he knew that from experience. That didn’t stop him from feeling bad about it. He lingered at the desk for a moment longer before turning and heading back to their office. Behind him, he could hear Lailah shuffling through the boxes, the sound quickly overlaid with humming.

He tipped his head, listening to the song. It was one that he almost recognized, but he couldn’t quite place it. He swayed in place, about to turn and ask Lailah about it when he was distracted by the sight of Mikleo coming out of their office.

Mikleo held out his bag, Sorey taking it with a thankful smile. He pulled it over his shoulder, waiting for Mikleo to shut the office door.

The two of them walked out of the Institute, Sorey taking a deep breath of the salt air. The next step he had to carefully jump around a seal that was sprawled out close to the doors.

Sorey turned to look at the seal, surprised to see him so vigilant. UW30 was usually one of the more laid back seals. Sorey had seen him either chasing around WZ61 in the water or hanging around the younger female, HY49, who was his younger sister. If he wasn’t doing that then he was hauled out on one of the rocks in the bay, fast asleep as he sunned himself.

Sorey looked over the seal carefully, searching him over for any signs of injury. It was the only thing that he could imagine driving The Dragon from his usual activities and on his own.

The seal considered him seriously, The Dragon turning around slowly. The sun brought out the yellowish sheen to his coat, but didn’t show any signs of injury. Sorey frowned, considering the seal for a moment more until Mikleo stepped forward. The Dragon huffed and pushed himself up until his flippers were barely touching the ground. The seal puffed himself up before letting out a mournful call.

Mikleo didn’t seemed phased by it. He just gestured into town. “If you have to, but he’s working and she’s being a nuisance. So doing blame him.”

The Dragon slumped back to the ground, sounding the most insulted Sorey had ever heard one of the seals. He glared at Mikleo for a moment longer before ponderously turning and galumphing off. Sorey watched as The Dragon made his way into town, shaking his head. “You must be some kind of seal whisperer.”

Mikleo shrugged, staring after UW30 for a moment longer before turning on his heel. Sorey trailed after him, smiling when he saw that Mikleo was heading for the bench on the side of the pier. It offered the best view of the sea and of whatever seals had hauled themselves out. It was his favorite spot to eat when Camlann was quiet. As it was, only the earliest of tourists had started to come in and they were more interested in walking around the town and playing on the beach than anything else. But all of that would change soon enough, just as soon as summer really started.

Sorey settled down on the bench with a sigh, pleasantly surprised when Mikleo flopped down close to him. He watched as Mikleo stretched, his gaze darting down to where Mikleo’s shirt momentarily rode up. Sorey jerked his gaze away from the exposed skin, distracting himself with digging out his lunchbox. It was only when it was secure on his lap did Sorey dare to look over again.

To his disappointment and relief Mikleo had finished stretching and was leaning forward on the bench. Sorey followed his gaze, smiling when he saw that Mikleo was looking down at some of the seals that were hauled out on the beach below. He watched as some of the new pups frolicked among the waves, chuckling as one ran right into its napping mother. “They’re doing well this year.”

Mikleo hummed, Sorey turning his head to see a smile crossing Mikleo’s face. “They are. This place wouldn’t be home without them.”

“It wouldn’t.” Sorey watched as some of the seals rolled over, waiting until they had settled before turning his attention back to his lunch. He played with the apple on top of his lunch. “Even when you’re always tripping over them, it’s nice to have them around. Although…I’m still confused about what The Dragon wanted.”

Mikleo groaned, running a hand down his face. “E-His sister wasn’t around, so there’s only a few places she would be. He’d know where she is if she was in the water, but he was in front of the Institute.”

Sorey stared at Mikleo for a moment before shaking his head. “Oh, Boris.”

Mikleo nodded, digging into his own lunch bag to produce a tuna fish sandwich. “She’s probably off bothering him, which means that The Dragon will be bothering him soon enough.”

“That poor man.” Sorey chuckled, rolling his apple between his palms. “Although I think that everyone in Camlann has a seal that follows them around. Rose has LY19, the Coffé has their seal, LR15 has started following me around.” He stopped when Mikleo jumped, giving Mikleo a concerned look.

Mikleo didn’t seem to notice it. He just took a bite of his sandwich, Mikleo seeming to use that to delay. It worked for a moment, but he gave in as soon as he swallowed. “T-they’re very social animals, strangely enough. I’m sure you’ve read most of the information gathered about them. And you’ve been here for three years so…” Mikleo shrugged and immediately took another bite of his sandwich.

Sorey just stared at him, surprised by how flustered he was. He couldn’t remember a time that Mikleo had been that way, not even during their late night discussions over artifacts. It was something that he always admired about Mikleo.

As soon as he started talking everything came out in a rush, but Mikleo managed to keep his cool and make it all sound rehearsed. But this was something new, and it almost made Sorey want to push, but he dropped his gaze to his lunch. If he wasn’t careful, he would talk to Mikleo for the whole hour, and they would be left with sneaking bites in between their work. Considering the rush they were in, Sorey was sure that the two of them wouldn’t get the chance.

He bit into his apple, freezing halfway through the motion when he saw Mikleo turn to look at him out of the corner of his eye. Sorey twisted to look at him, letting the partially bitten apple rest in his lap. “Mikleo?”

Mikleo was blushing again, but he wasn’t hiding it behind his hand. Sorey almost wished for it, because it was tempting to lean over and kiss that blush. He bit his lip, tensing when he heard Mikleo make a sound like a whine. He almost didn’t dare look back over, because he didn’t want to see Mikleo’s expression. The apple on his lap or the seals on the beach were a far better place to direct his gaze.

Mikleo cleared his through, the sound enough to turn his attention right back to Mikleo.

Mikleo still looked flustered, but determined. He took a few deep breaths before fixing Sorey with a serious gaze. Sorey automatically straightened his back, staring at Mikleo with wide eyes.  He wasn’t sure that it helped, because Mikleo’s expression crumbled back to insecurity for a moment. Then he was collecting himself again, although there was still a waver in his voice when he spoke.

“I…I’ve been hoping to- No, I’ve been meaning to ask you…It’s just that I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent together and I was hoping that we could do more. Just…outside of work. Not that I don’t enjoy talking about history with you but I was hoping for something…more.” Mikleo winced as soon as he was done, looking like he wanted to sink into the bench.

Sorey was sure that his own silence wasn’t helping, but he couldn’t think of anything to say, at least not anything that was actual words. He swallowed, tempted to reach out for Mikleo and grab his hand, but he wasn’t sure the right words would follow. It would just be him, holding Mikleo’s hand and babbling. It was better to keep his hands in his lap and come up with something a bit more concrete and fast because Sorey was aware of how long the silence had gone on. He could already see Mikleo shifting out of the corner of his eye, Sorey feeling a surge of panic when he realized what was happening.

He had waited too long. He was going to disappoint this beautiful, intelligent man all because he was struggling with words for such a simple concept.

Sorey swallowed, twisting around to meet Mikleo’s gaze. He spoke the first thing that came to mind, the words rushing out of him in a panic. “I’m free this Saturday.”

He was afraid that he had spoken too fast because Mikleo just looked confused. Sorey bit his lip, waiting for a response. Considering Mikleo’s confusion, he was sure that it would take as long as his answer had.

He was about to drop his gaze back to his lunch when he heard Mikleo let out a loud breath. His eyes widened as Mikleo smiled, watching as Mikleo nodded almost frantically.

“Yes. I can do Saturday.”

“Okay.”

“At the Coffé?”

“Yeah.” Sorey leaned in closer, stopping himself short of pushing right in. It was safer to just lean their shoulders together, especially when that was enough to make Mikleo’s smile widen.

Sorey tried to hide how the sight of it made his breath hitch, because that was too much too fast. It was only one date. He couldn’t scare Mikleo off, because he desperately wanted more.

He leaned more against Mikleo, relieved when Mikleo leaned back into him with a huff of a laugh. The sound was addicting, because he wanted to hear more of it from Mikleo. And it was dangerous because he wanted to chase the sound and taste the smile that was stretched across Mikleo’s face. It was safer to focus on his lunch and the wonderful warmth of Mikleo leaning against him.

* * *

Sorey adjusted the small headset over his ear, nudging it into place before looking back at where Boris was standing. He got a thumbs up in return, Boris turning his attention to the people that were settling into place along the railings of the boat.

The Institute’s boat wasn’t technically a tour boat, but they didn’t have the budget for that. Most of what they earned during the summer went back into their research instead of better boats. But their boat did the job alright, as did some of the other boats in the area. Sorey had seen plenty of Elysian led tours, although the Elysians looked more annoyed as the season went on, not that Sorey could blame them. The tourists could be a handful and they tended to have very interesting views on what the Elysian culture really was.

He turned to look over his shoulder, waving when he saw Moymor rowing a group of tourists out in his boat. He got a wave in return, Sorey watching the little boat for a moment longer before turning back to the tourists who were just finishing settling themselves in place. Sorey smiled at them, the expression coming easily. He enjoyed talking to people, which seemed to be a relief to both Sergei and Boris because they were more than happy to drive the boat around.

Sorey leaned back against the railing that cut the tourists off from the dive deck of the boat. He braced himself there as the motor of the boat churned to life. He twisted to look back at the pier, waving at Lailah. She waved back, Sorey shaking his head when she quickly turned. Her back straightened as she went into professional mode, probably to guide tourists into a line for the next tour around the bay or answer the myriad of questions that they would have for her.

He turned to look back at the people, watching at the last of them found places to sit on the benches or stand in the center of the boat. Sorey gave them all a wave, only a few of them waving back. It was something familiar enough, they were all impatient to see the cool things, like the underwater ruins or the seals. Sorey shifted his stance against the rail, smiling at the tourists. “Hello folks, welcome aboard the Platinum Knight, the research vessel of the Camlann Underwater Archeological Research Institute and the Hyland Marine Research Institute. I know it’s a mouthful, so we just call in the Institute.”

The joke got a few chuckles, like it always did, but the point was to loosen up the crowds. Sorey had discovered that tour groups were a bit like the students that he had once taught. They could be focused an energetic, or they could be lethargic and uninterested. It was better to try and get them excited about something before they went to take out that frustration on someone else in town. Or worse, tried to get a better view of the ruins or the seals themselves.

Sorey pushed himself from the railing, stepping closer to the group of people. “I’m Sorey and our captain up there is Boris, and the two of us will be taking you around the bay here and seeing a few of the best sites. Feel free to ask questions as the tour goes on, but hang in there for a moment longer while we go over some ground rules. Please stay on this side of the rails, no matter how tempting the water looks. I know it’s hot but that’s not the solution to it. We’ll be taking you as close to our ruins as we can but law prevents us from getting closer. Different laws keep us from getting too close to the wildlife. Most of the species in the bay are protected. And I know the seals are cute, but please don’t try to touch them. They’re wild animals and can be unpredictable.

“But that about covers it.” Sorey clapped his hands together, watching as the tourists shifted. They all seemed to be paying attention, which was good. He nodded up towards the front of the ship, watching as some of the group turned to look towards the bow. “We’re leaving from the town of Camlann, which was established sometime in the 1600s. It started out as a fishing down and outpost. Camlann experienced a short boom in the 1800s as a sea bathing town, but it settled back into the size it is now around 1850. If you look towards the front of the boat, you can see the island of Elysia. Compared to Camlann, the town on it has been here forever.

“We don’t actually know when the village was established. The Elysians have many myths about it, but they can’t be dated easily, and believe me, I’ve tried.” There were a few more chuckles with that. “But they’ve been here a long time and they’ve always lived on Elysia. We won’t be going onto the island, but we’ll be coming close enough for you to get a look. I can promise that there will be boats going across the bay if you want to take a closer look at the town. What we’ll be seeing is under the water and what you’ll see around town come from a different era, when the bay was mostly land and the climate was a little bit warmer up here. Now, if you look over to the left you can see-”

“SEAL!”

Sorey whipped around at the child’s shout, his eyes widening as he saw a familiar seal hop easily up onto the diving deck. It wiggled its way up so it was firmly seated on the boat instead of partially in the water. The seal shook himself off, reaching up to scratch at the side of his face. Sorey was sure that the seal looked over at him, but the glance was quick, and then it went back to its grooming.

Sorey stared at the seal, surprised that it was even on the boat. He knew that he kept a pretty predictable schedule, but this was not a part of it. If anything, the seal should have waited for him at the Institute, in the temple ruin or at his house, but it had found him on the boat. There was every chance that the seal could have seen him and decided to visit, but that made no sense. Not unless the seal had decided that it wanted to be social with him. After all, the Elysian seals were highly social creatures, which was strange for seals.

He was startled out of the circle of his thoughts when he heard a few children shouting questions at once. He turned to look at the tourists as the hands started to go up. At a loss of what to do, he gestured at one of them.

The little girl immediately pointed at the seal. “What’s its name?”

“Uh, this is LR15, he’s a young male Elysian seal.”

The girl pouted. “That’s not a real name.”

“I know. It’s his registration number. All of the Elysian seals have them to help us keep track of them.”

“But why not just name them?” The question came from a little boy who was crouching to get a better look at LR15. Sorey gave the seal a quick glance, watching as the seal yawned wide, showing off his teeth. It wasn’t a threat display because the seal bounced into a more comfortable position and curled into the familiar position of a hauled out seal.

Sorey looked back at the boy, shaking his head. “Scientists try not to get too attached, because it might skew the results. I’m a historian though so…I’m all for giving the seals nicknames. Who here has been to Sparrowfeather’s?” A few of the people raised their hands, Sorey nodding at them. “Then you might have seen the seal that suns himself there. His registration number is LY19, but everyone in town calls him Sparrow.”

“So what’s this one’s nickname?”

“I…I actually don’t know.” Sorey looked back at the seal, watching as the seal opened one eye. “He’s been in and out of the bay over the past few years so he didn’t get a nickname, at least one that didn’t get recorded. Unless…Boris?”

It took the man a moment to respond, Boris glancing over his shoulder. The man shrugged, raising his voice to be heard over the boat’s engine. “We might as well call him your seal! He’s only shown up around you!”

Sorey huffed, about to argue when he heard a sharp bark from the diving deck. He shot a look back over his shoulder, watching as the seal practically preened. Sorey shook his head, but he didn’t have the time to argue. Everyone was bombarding him with questions, Sorey having to motion for them to calm down. “One at a time. We’ll get through them all. And, if you have more, Lailah, Sergei and Mikleo will all be happy to answer them. Let’s see if we can’t answer some of those questions really quickly.

“This is an Elysian seal, and they’re only found in Mabinogio Bay. From what we can tell, their closest relative is the Southgand seal down in Haria. They’re more social than other seals for reasons we don't really know. According to our records, there about forty seals in the bay, and you can tell them apart from the other seals that might come in because they all have a sheen to their coat either in blue, yellow, red or green. We think this is because of the minerals in the mud or the algae dying their fur that color when they haul out onto the beach or rocks.”

Sorey took a deep breath, watching as all the hands shot up again. It was just what he expected, which probably meant that this tour would be mostly about the seals, not that it mattered. The tours were always changing depending on the audience.

He took a moment to look back at where the seal was still happily hauled out on the boat, apparently asleep even with all the shouting. From what he could see, it looked like the seal was there to stay, which meant that he would at least have something to use as an example.

Sorey shifted to one side to give everyone a better look at the seal, watching them carefully as they approached the dive deck railing. They seemed focused on the seal, and the seal seemed focused on relaxing, but he would have to keep an eye on the seal just in case. Until the seal showed signs of discomfort, he would continue.

He turned his attention back to the group, scanning them over before nodding at the next person with a question.

* * *

Sorey lingered outside of the Coffé, looking up at Camlann’s one coffee shop. It had never looked intimidating, it was usually a comfy, homey place. Somehow that had changed without anything about the building itself changing.

He swallowed and reached up to pat his hair down. It was an impossible task, but he could at least try. He pressed the cowlick down for a moment, not really believing that it would stay when he lifted his hand. Sorey gave up a moment later, reaching down to tug on his shirt to get it to lie correctly. Without a mirror he couldn’t really tell the effect that it made, but he couldn’t delay for much longer.

Sorey took a deep breath, glancing to the side. He wasn’t surprised to see a seal sprawled out among the chairs and tables. Starbucks was a common enough sight, either sunning himself outside the café or waiting patiently in line with the rest of the customers. Sorey eyed the seal and the large cup that was set in front of him.

There was no question of how Starbucks learned how to stand in line. Every once and a while the seal would be rewarded with a cup full of ground up fish, left over from the day before. It was illegal, but Sergei hadn’t gotten them to stop doing it. From what Sorey could see, it hadn’t affected the seal in any way. He didn’t depend on the place for food and it seemed like he just enjoyed having a cupful of ground fish while he sunned. If anything, his presence meant that the Coffé attracted a lot of customers.

Starbucks seemed content enough toady, but he was giving Sorey a steady look that was surprising. Sorey would have thought the seal had settled in for a nap, but Starbucks was wide awake.

The seal shifted, holding his gaze even as Sorey walked into the café. Sorey slipped through the doors, throwing a glance over his shoulder at the seal. Starbucks was still staring at him and, somehow, it looked calculating. It was enough to send a shiver down his spine, Sorey quickly shutting the door to block himself from the seal.

He sighed as soon as he was in the shop, feeling slightly better now that he was out of Starbucks’ gaze. He looked around, perking up when he saw Mikleo sitting in a chair by the window. Mikleo wasn’t looking at him, his attention on the street outside the window. The light from the sun hit his face at the perfect angle, or so Sorey thought. Mikleo looked beautiful all of the time, but he looked radiant now. Sorey wasn’t sure if it was just the sunlight or the combination of the sun and the purple shirt that Mikleo was wearing.

Sorey’s gaze lingered on the fall of Mikleo’s hair over his shoulder, jerking his gaze back up as Mikleo shifted. He swallowed hard when Mikleo’s gaze met his.

Mikleo sat up straight, Sorey shivering as Mikleo’s gaze raked over him. He was tempted to tug on his shirt again, just to make sure that everything was in place, but he didn’t think that it would help. Sorey swallowed, giving up. He didn’t want to waste more time on trying to get things perfect, not when Mikleo’s corner looked so comfortable. More importantly, it had Mikleo.

He picked his way across the café, watching as Mikleo leaned forward to adjust the mug and plates in front of him. Most of the motion seemed to be random fussing, which helped relax him. If Mikleo was nervous then it was somehow a bit better. They could be nervous together.

Mikleo stopped messing with the plate of cakes when Sorey came over, switching over to brushing off the front of his shirt. The motion made Sorey want to reach out and take Mikleo’s hand to calm him.

He sat down in one of the plush chairs, smiling when Mikleo flopped down. Mikleo was still shifting, so it was easy to let out a nervous laugh. “Should I have brought the next box of artifacts with me?”

Mikleo chuckled, some of the tension leaking out of him. “Maybe. We’d have something to keep ourselves occupied.”

“Probably.” Sorey leaned forward, eyeing the cakes for a moment before turning his attention back to Mikleo. He was looking out the window again, the nervousness was coming back. Sorey swallowed, glancing at Mikleo’s hand. He made a small movement towards it, freezing when Mikleo turned his head.

Mikleo stared at him for a moment before groaning and running a hand down his face. “I should be able to do this. I speak at least four languages.”

Sorey perked up at that, scooting forward to the edge of his chair. “Which ones?”

Mikleo peered out between his fingers, staying like that for a moment before slowly pushing himself up. “Well Elysian, Ancient Tongue and Old Hyland. And then, you know, Modern Midgand.”

They both laughed that that, Sorey feeling himself relax. He glanced over at the counter, considering the line before focusing on Mikleo again. A drink could wait, because Mikleo was relaxed and smiling again, and Sorey didn’t want to leave so soon. If anything, he wanted to scoot closer.

“Old Hyland is an interesting one.”

“It’s standard for Ladylake University.”

Sorey’s eyes widened. “You went to Ladylake?”

Mikleo nodded, obviously warming up to the topic. “It’s a good school for historic preservation, which is what I’d end up doing here, either at the Institute or the museum…But it was close to water, which was really important.” Mikleo blushed, his gaze drifting back towards the ocean. “I can’t be anywhere there’s not a lot of water. It’s just so weird and uncomfortable.”

Sorey nodded, not sure if Mikleo saw him. “I understand. Although, it was kind of the opposite for me. I’ve never been somewhere with so much water. The desert is a bit quieter.”

Mikleo shivered and shook his head. “I can’t imagine that. How do you live?”

“In the mornings and evenings mostly.” Sorey shrugged. It was something that he had never considered until he had moved to Camlann. There had been nights when he hadn’t been able to sleep because of how loud the sea sounded. The first storms of the season had been a wonder too, Sorey had stood out in the middle of most of them, just in awe of power of the storm and how it acted on the ocean.

He shifted in his chair, glancing back over his shoulder at where he could just see the glimmer of the sun off the sea. It was calm today, but Sorey wasn’t sure what it would be like in an hour. Three years wasn’t enough for him to know its moods.

Sorey startled when he felt Mikleo’s fingers touched his arm. He looked down, watching as Mikleo’s fingers moved over his skin. There was barely a different in their color, although Sorey was just slightly darker. Then again, he was sure that he had been spending much more time out under the sun than Mikleo. That would change come the end of summer after the two of them had spent all of their time out in the open.

He lifted his hand, hovering it above Mikleo’s. Sorey watched his fingers flex for a moment before dropping his hand over Mikleo’s. He felt Mikleo start, but Mikleo didn’t pull away. He closed his fingers slightly over Mikleo’s hand, only then daring to look up and smile at Mikleo.

Mikleo was still looking down at their hands, a familiar look of concentration on his face. Sorey had seen it plenty of times while they were working on artifacts or the database that the Institute and the museum shared.

Sorey shifted closer, watching as Mikleo raised his head. If Mikleo looked surprised to see him so close, he didn’t show it. He just met Sorey’s gaze as steadily and implacably as all the seals. He squeezed Mikleo’s hand, feeling Mikleo return the favor on his arm.

Sorey let the silence between the two of them linger for a moment before he rocked back slightly. “How about this, I’ll trade you stories from my time in Lohgrin and you tell me things about Ladylake. I’ve never been there myself, but I heard it’s beautiful.”

That seemed to startle Mikleo out of whatever he was thinking. He stared at Sorey with wide eyes before shaking his head. “You’ve never been?”

“Nope.” Sorey grinned. “I went into university and stayed there until I escaped out here.”

“From Lohgrin.” Mikleo gave him the time to nod, although the incredulous look didn’t leave his face. “How did you ever find yourself here?”

“Desperation. I’m not made to sit behind a desk.” Sorey paused when he felt Mikleo squeeze his arm again. “I always thought that I would be out in the field, not teaching students and just writing about things I’ve read but I’ll never see. So I just started applying everywhere but my area of expertise was very narrow. Not a lot of places were looking for an expert in Glenwood mythologies.”

Mikleo hummed, moving closer. “Their loss.”

Sorey nodded. “Camlann is a place like no other. I love it here.”

Mikleo perked up, Sorey surprised by how happy he looked. Mikleo’s grip on his arm tightened for a moment before he was shifting. Sorey mourned the loss of Mikleo’s hand on his arm, but he didn’t move away. Mikleo glanced around the café before lifting up his chair slightly and scooting it closer.

Sorey leaned in, stopping himself just short of being nose to nose with Mikleo.  He wasn’t ready for that kind of contact, but he didn’t want to leave too much space between the two of them. The café wasn’t loud at the moment, but he didn’t want to miss a word that Mikleo said. Besides, it felt good to be close to Mikleo, it felt right. And, from the way that Mikleo’s smile was softening again, Mikleo probably felt the same way.

Mikleo reached for his hand, Sorey letting him take it. Mikleo’s fingers brushed over his palm, making him shiver, but he didn’t dare look away, not when Mikleo was taking a quick breath. “I’m glad you’re here too.”

Sorey squeezed Mikleo’s hand, hoping that the simple motion conveyed all he hoped it did. From the look on Mikleo’s face, it looked like it did.

Mikleo held his gaze for a moment more before sitting back slightly. His hold on Sorey’s hand loosened slightly, Sorey ready to get a better hold on Mikleo’s hand when Mikleo nodded over to the counter. “You should go before the rush. The tours should be coming back soon and they’ll grab all of the food. If you want to hear about Ladylake, it might take a while.”

Sorey nodded, reluctantly letting go of Mikleo’s hand. He wouldn’t be gone for long considering that the line was practically nonexistent, but it was hard to pull himself away from Mikleo. It was warm in their little corner of the café with the sun and all the warmer because Mikleo was there. Still, the sooner he stocked them up for a long chat, the sooner he would be back and the sooner he could hold Mikleo’s hand again.

Even with that reassurance it was hard to stop himself from looking over his shoulder at Mikleo as he walked away. It settled something in him that Mikleo was watching him as closely, which made Sorey want to hurry back as fast as he could, but he held himself to his task.

He would be back soon enough, and then he would be all Mikleo’s again.

* * *

Sorey walked along the shore to his house, staying just on the edge of where the waves crashed into the sand. He was sure that he was practically skipping, but he didn’t care. He didn’t ever want to come down from the comfortable warmth he was feeling. Not even the cooler night air could steal it from him.

They had spent the entire afternoon talking about everything from their time in college to the current theories in the development of the Ancient Tongue. Sorey couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun, or the last time he had felt so good. Certainly his two week fling with a med student back in grad school hadn’t felt like this. He felt like he was constantly floating, like he could run on forever and nothing would slow him down. More than anything, he couldn’t wait for the next day so he could see Mikleo again.

He stretched his arms above his head with a happy hum. He wasn’t quite ready to go home yet, but the entire town had closed down for the night. Both of them had been shooed out of the Coffé and then gone to talk on the boardwalk for another hour before Medea had drifted by in her boat and reminded Mikleo that the tide was going out. Even with the urgency, it had been hard to let go of Mikleo’s hand.

Sorey dropped his arms back to his side, looking down at his hands. He was sure that he could still feel the warmth of Mikleo’s hand in his own, and that made him smile.

He flexed his fingers, absently wondering if Mikleo would let him hold his hand again tomorrow. They would be at work, but the times that they would be together were bound to be when they were safely tucked away in their office. Mikleo couldn’t argue with that, not that Sorey thought he would have. He had been reluctant to let go when they had finally parted for the evening. Sorey curled his fingers in, digging his nails into his palm for a moment before he shook his head.

With the way he was feeling there was no way that he was going to be able to go to sleep, he felt too jittery to settle down. But it was a nice night and there were miles of beach that he could cover before it got well and truly dark. Maybe that would exhaust him enough to sleep and keep him from calling Mikleo.

It took a little less than an hour to reach the island, so Mikleo would still be out on Medea’s boat. Even after an hour Sorey couldn’t give into the temptation to call. If he did, he was sure that the two of them would just start talking again, and they would talk all night. He wasn’t opposed to that, but he was sure that he would be once he stumbled into work the next day. Besides, Sorey was sure that it was a rule somewhere to not call for a few hours after a date. He couldn’t remember where he had heard it, but he was also inclined to ignore it. It couldn’t be good advice if it meant not talking to Mikleo.

Sorey tipped his head up to look at the sky, picking out what stars he could see emerging as the sun finally started to sink down past the horizon. They were faint specks in the sky, but soon they would be shining brightly. They always looked as bright as they had in Lohgrin, distant speaks of light in the desert darkness. The sounds were different, but the stars were the same. It was still too light for Sorey to pick out the familiar constellations, but he was sure that he would see them soon enough. Even if he didn’t think that he could lay still to stargaze he could still walk and look. Most of the tourists would be on the beaches on the other side of Camlann’s large pier, not on the beaches that looped past his house and Brad’s houseboat. He would have it all to himself.

He dropped his gaze down to the beach and his own small boardwalk. He frowned when he saw a seal moving back along it, looking like it was making a run for the water. Sorey watched it move oddly, not putting too much weight on its left side. That was enough to make him worry, Sorey speeding up in the hope that he could get a good look at the seal.

From their observation logs, they only seal badly injured enough to move like that was LQ09. Neither Sergei nor Boris had gotten close enough to see just what had happened to the seal, but LQ09 was one of the seals that wandered in and out of the bay, so it was likely he had gotten hurt in a fight for females or running away from an orca. If it was LQ09, then he could relax slightly, although Sorey wished that he could get closer to see how the seal was recovering. If not, then they might have a problem. The Elysian seals were generally friendly with each other, but if one had started picking fights, then they would have to keep a watch out for further injuries.

He started to walk faster, muttering a curse under his breath when the seal slipped enough the water. Sorey watched the water, breathing a sigh of relief when the seal popped up from the water. It was obvious that they weren’t too impeded in the water, which was somewhat of a relief. It was still something that he would have to report, just in case it was any other seal but LQ09.

The seal bobbed in the water, remaining as motionless as it could in the waves.  Sorey expected the seal to swim away, but the seal stuck close. They kept peering back at the boardwalk, eventually pushing itself a little bit further out of the water and letting out a bark.

Sorey turned to look at the boardwalk, scanning over its length. He turned to look back at his house, his eyes widening as he saw a seal throw themselves at one of the porch posts.

The seal backed up, staring at the post before snorting at it. The seal reached out to scratch at the post, ignoring the continuing calls from the seal in the water. If anything the seal on the porch just snorted and flapped a flipper in their direction. The seal stretched their neck out to stiff the post.

They remained like that for a moment before pulling away. The seal turned slowly, Sorey expecting them to startle at the sight of him and join the other seal in the water. Instead they galumphed to the edge of the boardwalk before puffing themselves up. The seal stared him down, Sorey not sure if he was just imagining that the seal was glaring at him or not. Sergei was always saying that he often assumed human emotions in the seals, but it was hard not to when the seals acted so much like humans. It was especially hard when the seal in question was looking him up and down like they were sizing them up.

Sorey took a step back, freezing when the seal dropping off the edge of the boardwalk. He was sure that he could outrun the seal on land, but he wouldn’t run until the seal showed aggression. For all he knew, the seal was trying to get his attention because their friend was hurt. Sorey threw a quick glance over his shoulder at where the other seal was still waiting in the water, watching as it bobbed just off the beach.

His attention was jerked back to the seal in front of him when he felt a nose touch his leg. Sorey looked down at the seal, automatically scanning the pattern of spots on their back and the sheen on their coat even as he debated whether he should retreat or not.

LQ08 seemed happy enough to stay with her nose against his leg, although she hadn’t stopped puffing herself up. Sorey wasn’t sure if it was a show of aggression or she was just being protective. Then again, the whelping season was over and LQ08 didn’t have a pup, at least not that they’d seen. Sorey tried to remember what her record said about her, but it was hard to remember anything when the seal was sniffing steadily up his leg.

She pushed herself off the ground, the seal wobbling slightly as she continued to nose up his leg. Sorey was sure that she would continue as far up as she could support herself, but she stopped when she was even with his hand. LQ08’s attention immediately switched to his hand, the seal twisting and nearly tipping over to sniff at his hand.

She nosed into his hand, Sorey holding still as he heard her hiss. She nudged hard at his hand, Sorey sure that he felt the prick of her teeth against it. But then she was dropping back down.

Sorey was confused by the sudden change, meeting her gaze as the seal stared at him. She held his gaze for a moment before glancing back at his house. Sorey was almost tempted to look at his house, but LQ08 swung her head back around. She caught his gaze before giving him a very clear nod. It was a common enough thing for the seals to do, but the way that she hauled herself partially upright to lick his hand wasn’t.

He recoiled slightly, surprised at the chortling sound that the seal made. She bobbed her head up and down before turning to look at the sea. She sighed, the sound turning into an imperious bark. She lumbered down towards the water, Sorey turning to watch her go.

She slipped into the water, her brother bobbing back under too. Sorey stared out at the sea, waiting for the moment that the seals popped up again. But they didn’t, at least not that he could see.

Sorey stared after them for a moment before shaking his head. He couldn’t think of a reason that the seals would be interested in his house, especially since it had been there for a while. There was nothing new or interesting about it, not since he had gotten there three years ago. If the seals had been some of the few Elysian seals that were migratory then it would have been logical but LQ08 tended to be sedentary.

He turned to look at his house, glancing it over for anything that would have attracted thier attention, but he couldn’t see it. Sorey gave his house one last look over before shaking his head. The seals wouldn’t have been able to get in, and he still wasn’t ready to go in. He may have been distracted, but the restlessness was still there. He just had one more thing to think about while he walked the beach.

Sorey glanced up at the sky, looking at the twinkle of the distant stars. They were calming, Sorey tracing out the scattering of stars that the Elysians called Amemoch’s Wake. He sighed, shaking his head before continuing his slow walk down the beach.

* * *

Mikleo’s hand was warm in his as they ambled their way through the museum exhibit. Sorey was sure he was supposed to be looking at the exhibit, especially since Alisha had recently redid the museum from the old, clustered way that it had been laid out. It was something worth paying attention to, but so was Mikleo.

Mikleo’s eyes were wide and the smile that had crossed his face when they had entered the museum hadn’t left. The exhibits were interesting, but Sorey couldn’t get enough of that smile.

He was towed away from one case of old pots and to the assortment of nets and fish traps that had been used in the area for centuries. Sorey remembered helping bring in the replicas and spending many nights frantically looking over broken fish traps for one that would hold up. From the brief glance that he had, everything looked good, even the trap that he thought would fall apart at any moment. As much as he had been worried about it, he couldn’t drag his gaze away from Mikleo.

Mikleo leaned close to the exhibit, staring at the traps with a look of awe on his face.  His gaze darted between them and the small write ups that had been done. Sorey watched as the corner of Mikleo’s mouth twitched up in a smile over something he read, Mikleo swaying forward for a moment before his attention went elsewhere.

He looked back over, Sorey quick to look down at the case and pretend that he was reading something over. He tipped his head to the side, skimming over one of the newer ones, recognizing Alisha’s touch in it. It was to the point and informative, and the cartoon seal in the corner looked very familiar, and not just from the other places it was scattered throughout the museum. Sorey smiled at the sight of it, but he moved away when Mikleo started walking to the next one.

Sorey wasn’t even sure what the next exhibit was about, his attention was firmly back on Mikleo. This time though, Mikleo realized it. Sorey was surprised when Mikleo looked his way. Mikleo grinned at him and squeezed his hand. “This is…amazing. So much has been done in such a short time.”

Sorey took a step closer to Mikleo so their shoulders were pressed together. “Do you like it?”

“I’ve always loved this place.” Mikleo leaned into him, turning slightly. Sorey took the little bit more weight without a question, it was worth it to practically have Mikleo in his arms. It was tempting to wrap his arms around Mikleo, but the way that they were holding hands would make it difficult and he wasn’t ready to let go. From the way that Mikleo was still clinging to his hand, he wasn’t ready to let go either.

Sorey shifted so Mikleo was resting slightly more against his chest than his shoulder. “It deserves to look its best.”

“It does.” Mikleo leaned against him for another moment before stepped away, but only just enough so they were standing shoulder to shoulder again. “You did a good job.”

“No. This was all Alisha.”

Mikleo huffed, shaking his head. “I wasn’t done.” He leaned more heavily against him, Sorey having to brace himself to keep from falling over. The pressure was only kept up for a moment before Mikleo was swaying away. “You did a good job, but I think she did a better one.”

Sorey huffed, shaking his head. “You wound me.”

Mikleo’s smile widened for a moment before he was pulling Sorey along again. Sorey went without a protest, allowing himself to be towed out of the small room and into the main hall. Mikleo immediately tipped his head back to look at the mural. The museum had been refurbished after the last big winter storm. Sorey hadn’t been around for that, but he’d been around when the roof had been put back on and when a group of locals had been working on drawing and painting the mural. From the look on Mikleo’s face, he’d never gotten to look at it.

He heard Mikleo gasp, Sorey squeezing his hand in response. He didn’t get long to admire the awe on Mikleo’s face because he heard someone call his name. Sorey was tempted to ignore it for the moment. They were only free for as long as their lunch break lasted, and that would be winding down soon. But the chance to take Mikleo to see the museum in all its glory had been too much, even if it was only for an hour.

Sorey swallowed and turned his head, using his free hand to wave at Alisha as she came over. He bit his lip to keep himself from laughing when he saw the streak of what looked like ink across her cheek.

He lifted his hand to tap at his own cheek, shaking his head when Alisha reached up to touch the smear. She looked at her fingers before groaning and looking up at the ceiling. She scrubbed at her cheek, giving up a moment later. Alisha ran a hand through his hair, Sorey wincing when another black streak was made. He doubted that it would remain in view for long considering the way her hair was already halfway out of her ponytail. It would be fixed eventually and, once that happened, Alisha would be as collected as she always was.

Sorey looked back at Mikleo as he dropped his hand. Mikleo looked down from the ceiling, giving him an encouraging nudge. “Go on.”

“But-”

“I’ll be here. I want to get a good look at it.” Mikleo paused, a blush rising on his cheeks. “Besides, it can’t be that much fun just watching me.”

Sorey shook his head, wanting desperately to reach up and push Mikleo’s hair behind his ear, but he held himself back. He settled for brushing his fingers over Mikleo’s arm. “I’ll be back.”

“I hope so.” Mikleo’s fingers curled briefly in his shirt before Mikleo let go. His attention went back to looking at the ceiling, although his head tipped slightly as Sorey walked away.

Sorey smiled at that, letting his gaze linger on Mikleo for a moment more before he turned his attention to Alisha.

Alisha gave him a weary smile, reaching up to pull her hair out of the ponytail. She played with the scrunchie, turning it over between two fingers. “I see the two of you are surviving the rush.”

“Well enough.” Sorey glanced over his shoulder at Mikleo, quickly looking back at Alisha. He sighed at the knowing smile on her face, shaking his head. “What about you?”

“Today is a rush. Ladylake requested items on loan, as did Lohgrin.”

“Lohgrin?”

“Something to do with a celebration of an author.” Alisha waved her hand around, frowning when she noticed the stains on her fingers. She shook her hand before looking up at him. “Mayvin is his name, I think. I know I’ve read his children’s book series of mythology, we stock the Elysian ones here. Apparently they’re celebrating him back in his hometown.”

Sorey nodded, not bothering to fight back his smile. It was about time Mayvin was celebrated, the man had been working hard on that series nearly all of his life. And Selene had illustrated every one of them, which meant that her artwork would be displayed along with the exhibit. It was enough to make Sorey consider taking time off to go home to see it. It would be after the tourist rush, but it might be the perfect chance to take Mikleo to meet his mother.

He bit his lip, his gaze straying back to Mikleo. It might be too early for that, but he hadn’t been able to imagine taking anyone else home to meet Selene. On second thought, he couldn’t quite imagine Mikleo in Lohgrin, it didn’t have enough water.

He rubbed his arm, turning the idea over in his head before letting it go. He looked back at Alisha, fully expecting the almost teasing look on her face. Sorey supposed that it was just revenge for all the playful teasing he had done when she had started dating Rose. He had expected as much when he had found someone who caught his attention. _If_ someone had caught his attention. Sorey distinctly remembered Rose threatening to send naked men with artifacts his way, because it was the only way he would notice them.

Sorey blushed at the memory, watching as Alisha’s smile widened. She reached out to rub his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. Although, I think you could have picked a better time. One with less tourists.”

“Did you pick when you fell in love with Rose?”

Alisha made a face. “We had a very strict schedule.”

The two of them were silent for a moment, but Alisha giggled first. She reach back to sweep her hair back into a ponytail. “I didn’t just marry Rose, I married the Sparrowfeather business as well.”

Sorey shook his head. “You still come first.”

“I know.” Alisha smiled fondly before reaching down into her bag. She pulled out a few papers and offered them to him. “I hate to do this to you. I was just running off to grab Rose for lunch and I was going to drop those off with Sergei but since you’re here…” Alisha shrugged. “Just some things he requested of me and some reports. The seals are acting strange.”

“When aren’t they?”

Alisha shrugged, giving his arm a squeeze before leaning in to whisper, “Have fun” and then she was walking away.

Sorey turned to watch her go, frowning when he saw two seals waiting just outside the door when Alisha stepped out. They leaned away, but immediately went back to peering in, although one of them had to stretch its neck up to see in through the doors. Sorey stared at the two of them, the seals not seeming to be too disturbed by his focus.

Their attention lingered on him for a moment before one of the seals turned its attention to where Mikleo was standing. The two tensed and backed away. Sorey was sure that they were beating a quick retreat, although why they were looking into the museum in the first place was a mystery, unless they were looking for a way out of the afternoon sun that didn’t involve crossing the road.

Sorey sighed and looked back at Mikleo, surprised to see him looking furious. He swayed forward before rocking back onto his heels. He was obviously agitated, and that drew Sorey to him. He reached out to touch Mikleo’s hand, relieved when Mikleo slotted their fingers together.

Sorey leaned into him, looking at Mikleo’s face from his close perspective. Some of the anger had gone away, but there were still lines that he wanted to smooth out. His fingers twitched around the papers that he was holding, Sorey leaning in before he knew what he was doing.

He kissed Mikleo’s temple, freezing as soon as his lips made contact. He heard Mikleo suck in a quick breath, Sorey recoiling quickly. He swallowed, about to pull away when Mikleo got a tighter hold on his hand.

“Don’t.” Mikleo sounded breathless. Sorey wasn’t sure if it was good or bad, but Mikleo was holding him tightly which couldn’t be a bad sign.

He watched as Mikleo took a deep breath, not daring to move even when Mikleo turned to face him.

Mikleo stared at him for a moment before the frown lines on his face eased. He took a step forward, bringing them closer. Mikleo’s gaze flicked to his lips before he leaned forward.

Sorey wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed when Mikleo kissed his cheek. He supposed that it didn’t matter, not when Mikleo squeezed his hand before pressing their foreheads together. “Thank you.”

“No problem. I would-” Sorey cut himself off. What he wanted to do was to dive in too far and too fast. It’s what he had always done and it had never gone well. He swallowed and settled for a nod. “You were having too good of a time have it end like this.”

“I still am it’s just…” Mikleo made a vague motion to the doors. “Seals.”

“They’re everywhere.”

“I know. But sometimes they’re just a bit…too everywhere.”

Sorey laughed and took a step back, tugging slightly on Mikleo’s hand. “Come on. You can hide in the office and I’ll do the tours. No seals can get to you there.”

Mikleo stepped up to his side, pressing their shoulders together. Sorey relaxed into him, looking out through the front doors. He was sure that they were a bit over their lunch break, but that wouldn’t stop him from taking his time walking back slowly. It was still lunch time for everyone else, so they would be clogging up the restaurants, cafés and the beach for the next hour. What they meant for them was time to finish projects, or take the longer way back to the Institute.

Sorey squeezed Mikleo’s hand, watching Mikleo out of the corner of his eye. He looked happier, which was all that mattered.

* * *

Sorey rubbed his eyes, staring at his laptop screen before shaking his head. He glanced at the papers that he had stacked to one side, reaching out to push them away from him. He needed a break from the artifact logs and the changes in the Institute’s database. Alisha had requested some of their artifacts, nothing that he couldn’t handle. Sorey took a deep breath, staring up at the ceiling. It was just hard to concentrate after a long day of work.

He dropped his hand to his throat, rubbing at it.  It didn’t matter how many years he spent doing tours, upwards of ten tours a day would always strain his voice. It was the kind of strain that tea could solve, if he felt like getting up out of his chair, but he was dead on his feet as well. It was always like that towards the end of the week. But he would have to get up eventually. There was dinner to heat up and a shower to take, but all he felt like doing was curling up in one of the overstuffed chairs and reading. That would have to wait too.

Sorey sighed and stretched his arms above his head, hissing when he felt his back pop. He reached back to rub at it, pausing when he heard a scratch at the door.

He sat up, looking at the door. When the noise repeated itself, he stood up. Sorey tipped his head to the side, slowly approaching his front door. The scratching continued at regular intervals, like anyone else would knock.

Sorey reached for the door, pausing at the next set of scratches. He hesitated for a moment before looking through the peephole.

There was no one on the other side, Sorey jerking his head back in shock. Someone had to be there to be making the noise. Or, at least something.

Sorey swallowed and jerked the door open, looking down in time to see the seal waiting on the other side as it raised its flipper to scratch again.

He looked over the pattern of its markings, sighing when he pieces them together. He was almost expecting LR15 to be there. It was either him, Starbucks or HY49. Sorey would never know why the Little Lady had changed her focus from Boris to him, or why The Dragon hadn’t started coming after him like he had Boris.

Sorey shifted in place, freezing when LR15 looked up at him. The seal had three sizable fish in his mouth.

Sorey had seen plenty of seals carrying around fish, but it was usually to move to a place where they would be more comfortable. LR15 seemed to have no inclination to eat the fish. In fact, he looked more interested at coming into the house.

He glanced back into the house, looking around for something that would interest the seal. There was nothing, not even the smell of anything he’d cooked. There was just a pile of paper and his laptop.

Sorey looked down again when he felt something brush past his leg. He stared down at the seal, watching as he paused on the front mat. The seal brushed his flippers off on the mat, taking care to drag his stomach across it as he moved into the house. Sorey sucked in a quick breath, stopping as the seal continued into the house. Technically the seal wasn’t allowed in the house but Sorey wasn’t sure what he could even say to the seal to send him out. From what he could see, the seal was more interested in exploring.

At a loss of what to do, he leaned against the frame of the door, watching as the seal moved into the kitchen. LR15 galumphed around the table, seeming to forget the fish that he held in his mouth. The seal looked around, obviously more interested in looking around then settling.  He made his way around the kitchen table, the seal pausing to look down the hall towards the bedroom.

Sorey fully expected the seal to continue his exploration, but it stopped on the threshold of the hallway. The seal leaned his head slightly into the hallway before he jerked it back. He backed into the kitchen again, his attention finally turning to Sorey. He held Sorey’s gaze, Sorey not sure what the seal was wanting him to do. Elysian seals weren’t the easiest to read, but they were a little bit more understandable than the other seals. Sorey wasn’t sure if the problem was because LR15 was just expecting something from him or it the fish were preventing the seal from really expressing himself.

He didn’t have too long to wonder, the seal reaching out to scratch at the cabinet. Sorey watched as the seal bobbed his head, the fish flapping in his mouth. The seal scratched at the door again, his impatience clear.

Sorey stepped away from the front door, pausing long enough to kick one of his shoes into the path of the door. He didn’t want it swinging shut and trapping the seal in his house. LR15 might be calm now, but Sorey didn’t want a seal panicking in his house. It wasn’t the furniture he was worried about, it was the seal himself.  There were plenty of things in the house that could injure the seal, and he wasn’t sure that he had the proper supplies to care for one. Aside from stopping the blood he wouldn’t know what to do.

He edged around the table, the seal watching him as he moved. The seal tipped his head back, practically folding himself in half by the time that Sorey got around to the other side of the table. LR15 stared at him upside down for a moment before reaching out to scratch at the cabinet again. Sorey glanced at the fish in the seal’s mouth before reaching up into the cabinet above the counter. The seal didn’t know how his kitchen was laid out, but Sorey was sure the seal wasn’t naïve about the way human homes worked. He was bound to have seen something in all his years living in and around Camlann and Elysia. Besides, it wasn’t too hard to figure out what he was looking for with three large fish in his mouth.

Sorey grabbed a plate from the cabinet, having to lean forward awkwardly to set it on the ground in front of the seal. The maneuver practically pressed him nose to nose with it. The seal seemed pleased enough, Sorey hearing his flippers tap against the ground. It was hard to tell if LR15 was really happy with the fish in his mouth and the way that his mouth was set in a permanent smile, but the seal looked content to have him so close.

Sorey set the plate on the ground, hovering over the seal before running his hand over the seal’s back.

He expected LR15’s fur to be damp considering that he had been out swimming, but it was also softer than he expected. Sorey dug his fingers in, ruffling the fur the wrong way before smoothing it over. The section he had played with remained sticking up, and he expected that it felt strange, but the seal didn’t seem to care.

Sorey heard the fish drop onto the plate and then he was staring into dark, dewy seal eyes. LR15 regarded him for a moment before leaning back further to press his nose against Sorey’s forehead. The seal made a kissing sound before ducking his head away.

Sorey stared down at him, watching as LR15 hid his muzzle behind a flipper. Sorey chuckled at the motion, giving the seal’s side one more pat before going back to his laptop.

He braced himself on the table, flipping through the papers. It was still a sizable stack, but he could call himself done for the day once he got halfway through what remained. He had gotten through the critical stuff as soon as he had gotten home, and there were plenty of evenings that he could spend working, if only to get ahead. Eventually the tourist season would end and he would get his time back to himself. Before he had been using that time to catch up on the artifacts and his personal research, but now that meant more time with Mikleo.

Sorey smiled and ducked his head. He could feel a blush rushing on his cheeks, but he didn’t try to stop it. He would be lying to himself if he said that he hadn’t thought of what other things he could do with Mikleo once the rush calmed down. The stolen moments he was managing between tours were wonderful, but he wanted to do something where they weren’t rushed, like their first date. He wanted to have that kind of time again.

He sunk into the chair, turning his head when he heard something scrape across the floor. Sorey leaned over, watching as LR15 nudged the plate across the floor to him.

The plate knocked against the leg of the table, he seal glancing at it before huffing at it. The seal carefully maneuvered himself around the plate. He came over to lean his head on Sorey’s leg. Sorey chuckled at the adoring look that he was given. He reached down to stroke the seal’s head, stopping himself at the last minute. Despite the cute act, LR15 was still a wild animal and Sorey didn’t want to get himself bitten.

He was about to lift his hand away when LR15 beat him to the punch. The seal lifted his head into Sorey’s hand, making a pleased nose. Sorey leaned back at the smack of a flipper, watching as one of the seal’s hindflippers smacked against the floor. It twitched a few more times before settling, LR15 scooting himself forward so he could rest his head more on Sorey’s leg. The seal heaved a huge sigh, seeming content to sit there, which encouraged Sorey to stroke the tips of his fingers over the seal’s head.

Sorey shook his head as the seal leaned into the affection. He was sure if LR15 had been a cat, he would have been purring. He stopped the careful petting, the seal seeming content to just lean against him. Sorey was sure that nothing could dislodge the seal, although he was sure that the fish that the seal had brought would tempt him eventually. The fact that the seal hadn’t dug in was suspicious enough. The seal wouldn’t have caught anything if he was already full.

His gaze lingered on the fish for a moment before he looked back down at the seal. “I’m going to need to give you a name, Sergei’s rules or not. LR15 sounds too…clinical.”

The seal nuzzled into his legs, huffing into his pants before pulling away. LR15 didn’t go too far, he just went back to nudging the plate around until it was resting against Sorey’s foot. The seal gave him a significant look before backing away.

Sorey looked down at the plate of fish, his stomach growling loudly. He glanced down at it, his gaze sliding away to look at the seal. LR15 was waiting expectantly and a little smugly in the center of the kitchen floor.

He sighed and looked at the clock. It was close enough to dinner time to stop, and it had been a while since he’d had the energy to do something more than microwave something. Fried fish and rice would be delicious after a long week at work. Sorey glanced back at the seal before giving in with a smile.

“If I’m allowed to take these…” Sorey reached down for the plate, partially expecting LR15 to snap at him for daring to get close. The seal seemed content to watch him, although he did perk up when Sorey lifted the plate from the ground. Sorey studied the seal for a moment longer before standing up. The seal pattered away giving Sorey the room to move past him. Sorey set the plate on the counter, giving the door open last glance before shrugging. “Well, if you’re determined to stay, then it would be rude not to serve you too. Not after you brought us these. I might have to lay off the spices but…what Sergei doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

The seal bobbed his head, the motion so vigorously that his whole body shook. Sorey laughed, stepping to the side as the seal bounced his way over to the carpet spread over the other half of the main room. The seal settled himself down, curling into the familiar partial curl of a hauled out seal.

Sorey smiled over at him, nudging the fish off to one side while he started to take out what he would need to cook the fish, humming to himself all the while.

* * *

Sorey buried his toes into the sand, wiggling them in deeper. The sand was nice, warm and it felt good on his aching feet. It had been another long day, but it was worth it. Sorey leaned back on his hands, looking over his shoulder at where Mikleo was making his way down the beach with ice cream in hand.

He let his gaze drift over Mikleo, absently licking his lips at the sight of so much skin on display. He was used to Mikleo in his short sleeved shirts and shorts, but this was different. Mikleo just had on swim trunks and a zip up shirt, the latter hanging open and loose on him, exposing his chest.

It was almost enough for him to forget about the ice cream…or maybe not quite.

It was enough for him to wonder if there were other ways to enjoy the ice cream. And if Mikleo would let him.

He cleared his throat, sure that it did nothing to hide the blush on his cheeks. And he didn’t want to. From the look that passed over Mikleo’s face, he had figured out what Sorey was thinking, and there was nothing to indicate that he was against it.

Sorey moved his hand as Mikleo walked over to him, watching as Mikleo settled down beside him. He reached out to take the cone that Mikleo offered him, using the opportunity to scoot closer. Mikleo seemed to read his mind, because he leaned in. Sorey settled against him. His gaze drifted down the side of Mikleo’s neck and to the curve of his shoulder. It was the perfect place for a kiss, or two, or three.

“It’s melting.”

Sorey jerked out of his thoughts, glancing back at his ice cream. He leaned over to lick the drip that was rolling down the side of the cone. He followed it up with his tongue, humming at the taste. “This is really good.”

“Best ice cream in the world.” Sorey looked back up at Mikleo. He looked flustered, but that didn’t stop him from shifting closer and resting his hand on Sorey’s leg. “In the best place in the world. And probably the only quiet beach in Camlann.”

Sorey laughed at that, sure his voice wavered. Mikleo’s fingers twitched on his leg, and then they were gone. Sorey wasn’t sure that it was a good or bad thing,  He did know that he missed the warmth of Mikleo’s hand on his skin, but it was a little thing compared to the warmth that he felt from where Mikleo was snuggled up against his side. Sorey switched the ice cream to his other hand, hesitating for a moment before curling his arm around Mikleo’s waist.

He heard Mikleo squeak, about to take his hand away when Mikleo settled against him. Sorey swallowed and looked down at where his hand was resting against Mikleo’s side, his fingers sliding under Mikleo’s shirt to rest against skin. He heard Mikleo suck in a quick breath, but he didn’t move. Sorey looked back up at Mikleo’s face, smiling at the content look there.

Mikleo licked at his ice cream cone for a moment before sighing and tipping his head to the side. Sorey shifted to meet him halfway. He smiled as their temples rested against each other, unable to keep from humming when Mikleo rested his hand on his knee again.

“No one wants to come down here, the way is too rocky and the view from the boardwalk doesn’t make it look too good. So it’s left for the seals…and us.”

“Thank you for sharing it with me.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t found it.” Mikleo shifted slightly to flash him a smile. “I expected you to explore all over.”

“I did in stages. But when you grow up in a desert, sand is sand. A beach is just…more of that.”

“But wet.”

Sorey laughed, wiggling his toes in the sand. “But wet.”

He turned his attention back to his ice cream cone, working on eating it before more of it melted. It was too delicious to waste, especially on such a hot day. It didn’t matter that the summer was almost over, the heat seemed inclined to linger. Sorey didn’t mind, he hadn’t gotten much time to enjoy the sun. Doing tours meant that he was outside, but they didn’t give him time to really savor it. If he wasn’t taking people around the ruins or answering questions about the seals he was in the office working with the artifacts. That wasn’t something that he was every going to complain about, but there was something to be said about lounging in the sun.

There was also something to be said about lounging in the sun with a beautiful man.

Sorey bit into his ice cream cone, looking out to the distance hump of Elysia. He scanned the shore for seals, surprised that they weren’t there. Even more surprising, they weren’t surrounding them on the beach. The amount of seals following him around might have gone down, but Sorey still expected them to pop up. If not one of the other seals that would be trailing him then he expected LR15 would show up eventually, which would be a shame. He wanted a moment alone with Mikleo without seals or tourists to interrupt.

He looked back over at Mikleo as he felt the man shift. Mikleo leaned more securely into his arm with a sigh. Sorey would have been worried if not for the smile that lingered on Mikleo’s face.

He gently nudged Mikleo with his shoulder. “Penny for them?”

Mikleo glanced over at him before shaking his head. “It’s nothing solid, just glad to be done for the day.” Mikleo took a bite out of his cone, turning it slowly in his fingers. He remained silent for a moment more before shrugging. “And maybe I’m a little bit glad that it’ll be all over soon. Then we’ll get the town back, for the most part. I miss the quiet.”

Sorey nodded slowly. Seeing Camlann bustling was a good thing, because it meant that businesses were making money and the town would stay afloat. Neither Camlann nor Elysia were at the point where they were wholly dependent on the tourist trade to earn money, but tourism certainly contributed a lot. Even still, there was something about the town outside of summer that was better. Maybe it was the slowing of the frantic pace or because the streets weren’t crowded with people.

He turned his attention to the last bit of his cone, turning it over in his hands before popping it in his mouth. He winced at the loud crunch it made when he bit down, but with the way that Mikleo was finishing off his own ice cream, Sorey was sure that he hadn’t heard. Sorey swallowed, daring to scoot closer.

He felt Mikleo’s hand twitch on his leg, but Mikleo did nothing else to discourage him. Mikleo just groaned and leaned more heavily against him. “If I have to answer one more question about what Elysian traditions actually are, I’m going to scream.”

“I’m sorry.”

Mikleo shook his head. “It’s not your fault, although I’m tempted to just start throwing your paper at them, not that it would do any good. Most of them probably aren’t interested in reading about it.” He sighed, resting his head on Sorey’s shoulder. He looked at Sorey from there, a wry smile on his face. “Your work on mythology though, that they would read.”

Sorey blushed and shook his head. “I don’t know. It gets, pretty technical.”

“True.” Mikleo seemed content to keep resting against Sorey’s shoulder, although he was looking out as Elysia again. “But it was good to get another view of them. I grew up my whole life hearing stories about the Great Thunderer or Amenoch and their messengers, so I didn’t make half of the connections you were talking about.”

“I…I didn’t think that anyone from Elysia would actual read it.” Sorey was sure that he was bright red by now, and the squeeze that Mikleo gave his leg did not help. He swallowed, looking down at Mikleo.

It was a relief that Mikleo was still looking out at Elysia, because he wasn’t sure he would have full command of his tongue if Mikleo was looking at him. It had been one thing to read about the Elysian culture and conduct his own interviews on Elysia, but it was another thing to realize the same people read his work. They had always seemed vaguely interested in what he was doing, but not enough to read it. Then again, Mikleo was a historian, so that at least made sense.

He swallowed, trying his hardest to keep his voice level. “Which ones are your favorites?”

“Of your papers?”

“No.” Sorey was sure that he spoke the word too fast. He cleared his throat, meeting Mikleo’s gaze when the man looked at him again. “The stories, which ones are your favorites?”

Mikleo hummed, his fingers drumming out a rhythm on Sorey’s thigh. Sorey bit back a curse, sure that Mikleo was doing it on purpose. He kept his gaze focused on Mikleo instead, even when Mikleo’s attention drifted away from him. He stared out into the sea before smiling. “I’ve always loved the stories about the Great Thunderer.”

“The trickster?”

Mikleo nodded, turning his attention up to him again. “I always liked how smart he was. Every problem had a solution if he thought hard enough about it. Besides, it was always amusing all the ways that he came up with. My favorite is how he stole the power of the storms from Amenoch and the Great Humpback Whale. I used to beg anyone who would sit with me to tell it over and over again. I guess it helps that everyone has their own version of the stories, but my favorite came from Zenrus. Gramps always told it the best, with different voices for everyone and dramatic pauses.” Mikleo chuckled. “There was a point in my life where I wanted to be the Great Thunderer, but it’s hard to steal gifts for humanity from the gods, especially in this economy.”

Sorey chuckled, pressing his face against Mikleo’s hair. He could hear Mikleo laughing as well, fighting the urge to nuzzle into Mikleo’s hair. It smelled good, like fresh fruit and flowers. He fought the urge to kiss a strand, lifting his head up so the temptation wouldn’t nag at him. “I’ll bet.”

“Right? So I settled for something else I’d heard stories about. Uncle Michael was always telling me about history and all of these cool things, and that was just as interesting.”

“And almost like what you wanted to do.” Sorey stroked his hand over Mikleo’s side, stopping when Mikleo gave him a confused look. “You’re stealing knowledge and artifacts from obscurity and bringing them to the people.”

Mikleo stared at him for a moment before smiling. “I guess I am.”

He nuzzled into Sorey’s shoulder, still laughing. Sorey smiled and tugged him closer, stopping just before he pulled Mikleo into his lap. It felt good to have Mikleo pressed up against his side all giggly and warm. He was sure that it would feel better to have Mikleo in his lap. That would mean that Mikleo was closer, maybe close enough to…

Sorey swallowed at the thought, pushing it away. That was maybe something for later, when he wasn’t so comfortable.

He smiled down at Mikleo, yelping when Mikleo dug a finger into his side. He saw Mikleo’s eyes widen, like he was cataloging the response for later. Sorey curled his fingers into Mikleo’s side. Mikleo jerked slightly, his hand sliding from Sorey’s thigh. Their legs knocked together as Mikleo resettled himself.

They sat in silence for a moment, Sorey listening to the steady crash of the waves against the shore. He wiggled his toes deeper into the sand, stopping when Mikleo spoke up again.

“What about you? You must have read those stories so many times over. Which are your favorites?”

“Promise you won’t laugh?”

“At you? Never.”

Sorey nodded, leaned back a little further on the one hand that he had braced on the sand. “I like the stories about the seal people.”

He felt Mikleo tense, Sorey almost expecting it. There were many different stories about the seal people, it was the first thing that anyone picked out of the Elysian culture. Sorey had sat through plenty of questions if the people of Elysian had _really_ believed they were seals. It was a common misconception considering the sheer number of stories about the seal people and the studies that had been done on the Elysians back in the 1600s. Most of them used the stories to prove that the Elysians had been a primitive and backwards people.

He gently rubbed Mikleo’s side, trying not to make tickle him. “I really do. I know most of them are about when a fisherman or someone from Camlann steals a pelt and imprisons the seal, but I don’t like those. My favorites are the ones that _are_ romances and end well, like the one about Lloyd and Colette.”

To his relief, Mikleo relaxed. “Really?”

Sorey nodded, not even sure if Mikleo saw it. “I do. I like it because it’s different from the others, and you can tell it’s not a story just meant to warn people about strangers or bad relationships. It’s about two equals. And also because I loved the way my mom drew Lloyd when she illustrated the myth for Mayvin’s book. I think he was my first crush.”

Mikleo hummed, Sorey not sure what the sound meant until he looked down at him. He was met with a teasing smile, Mikleo wiggling closer to him. “You had a crush on a character from folklore.”

“It…it’s not my fault. It’s Mom’s. She made him really handsome.”

“He’s a teenager in the stories.”

Sorey groaned and stared up at the sky. “It didn’t sound as bad when I was thirteen.”

Mikleo chuckled. “Probably not. But that does tell me a lot about you.”

“Really?”

“For one, you’re a hopeless romantic.”

Sorey looked back down at him. “Is that a bad thing?”

“No. Not at all.” Mikleo leaned more heavily against him for a moment before sitting up.

Sorey mourned the loss of warmth along his side. He leaned after Mikleo, his gaze lingering on where Mikleo’s shirt was sliding off one of his shoulders. Sorey licked his lips, staring at the skin revealed to him. He wanted to lean in and kiss Mikleo there, just to see how he would react.

He leaned in close before he thought about what he was doing. Sorey saw Mikleo’s eyes widen, about to stumble out with some excuse when he saw the smear of ice cream on the corner of Mikleo’s lips.

He reached out without thinking, brushing his thumb over the smear to wipe it off. His thumb continued almost of his own volition across Mikleo’s lips, Sorey jerking his hand away when he realized what he was doing. He blushed and looked at the ground curling his fingers into the sand. “Sorry. You had ice cream…”

“Is it gone?”

Mikleo sounded breathless, Sorey looking up against his better judgment. He swallowed at the expression on Mikleo’s face, not quite sure how to read it. But it had to be good that Mikleo was leaning closer instead of away from him.

Sorey wasn’t sure which one of them closed the distance between them first, but he doubted it mattered. The only thing that mattered was scooting forward to kiss Mikleo.

He tasted like vanilla ice cream, Sorey closing his eyes as he leaned into Mikleo. He felt Mikleo grab onto his arms, Sorey ready to move away or shift to the side. He was not prepared to be pulled into Mikleo’s lap.

He went with a yelp of surprise, but that was forgotten quickly in favor of snatching a quick breath so he could kiss Mikleo again. Mikleo seemed to have the same idea because he was hauling Sorey closer as well. Sorey laughed into the kiss, pulling back just enough so he could rest his forehead against Mikleo’s.

Sorey smiled down at him, pushing his fingers into Mikleo’s hair. Mikleo was grinning up at him, his hands steady on the small of Sorey’s back. Sorey shivered as he felt Mikleo’s fingers splay out, watching as Mikleo took a few deep breaths before he spoke.

“Is it gone now?”

Sorey considered the question for a moment. “I’m not sure. I might have to check again.”

Mikleo hummed, putting a little bit of pressure on his back. Sorey moved with the pressure, steadying himself with one hand on Mikleo’s shoulder as he leaned down to kiss Mikleo again.

* * *

Sorey hummed along to the song on the radio, nudging the oven door shut with his hip. He reached over to turn the timer on, taking a moment to stretch as soon as it was done. He watched the numbers tick by before turning to look at his sink and sighing. It was one thing to cook for himself, but another to cook for the entire town. One involved a lot more dishes. Sorey shook his head, reaching forward to grab a spoon. He tossed it over into the sink with the rest of the dishes.

He would have to get around to them eventually, he would need to use a few of the things in the sink to take the food over to Elysia later on in the day. Sorey gave the sink a rueful glance before reaching up for his supply of Tupperware. They would handle about half of the hamsili pilav that he’d made, but there were a few other pots with lids that he would have to take over. He wouldn’t risk the food in an open pan, especially not when he would have to detour to pick up Rose and Alisha before heading over to Elysia.

Sorey glanced at the clock on the wall, smiling to himself when he saw the time. He was well ahead of schedule, which was good. He didn’t want to have to rush things and miss out on bringing something to the end of summer cook out. No one would blame him for it, but it would feel like a failure, especially with how important the celebration was.

Sorey sighed and turned back to his sink, turning on the water and starting to make inroads on the dishes. It was better use of his time than drifting around the house or starting on his work. If he did that then he would probably lose track of time and be late, which would be even worse than showing out without food.

The cook out was a big deal in Camlann and Elysia. It usually took place at the end of the summer, when almost all of the tourists had gone back home and just before the town and village went back to their normal rhythms. From what Sorey had head, the date of the cook out had held steady for the past seven years, although that was hardly a record. The last record was twenty years before the discovery of a dead seal on the Elysian beach had moved the date forward.

It was an Elysian tradition to skin and eat seals, it had been a way of life for them for thousands of years. Sorey had seen plenty of seal pelts when he had visited Elysia, all of them meticulously kept and cherished. The pelts were passed through the families or especially given for deeds of bravery or great accomplishments. Sorey knew that Mikleo had one for finishing his PhD, although he had never seen it and it seemed rude to ask. The pelts were something special, because of the way that they were earned, and sacred because of where they had come from.

While the seals around Elysia - both the rare Elysian kind and the more common kind of seal that stuck to the other bays in the area - were protected, so were the rights of the Elysians. It was a sacred and important tradition, but it was curtailed to dead seals who washed up on beaches for the sake of the protected seals. The terms had been managed by the Elysians when the laws were being made to the satisfaction of both parties. And then, almost like a message from Amenoch themselves, a dead seal had washed up on the beach. To celebrate the Elysians had invited all of Camlann to the rites and then the two groups had finished the night with a grand barbecue and picnic. The pelt taken that day was on loan to the Institute’s museum from Taccio. The tradition continued afterwards too, all of Camlann making the trip over to Elysia to have a huge celebration at the end of summer, in the event that a dead seal didn’t move the celebration up a few days.

Sorey slotted a bowl into place on the dish drainer, shaking the water off his hands. He looked at the teetering assembly before taking a step back. It would hold for the time it took for them to start to drip dry, which gave him time to organize a few more things. It was still hours before the picnic, and an hour or so until his pilav was done. That left him the time to start on his work, but he didn’t quite feel like it.

He’d been running off his feet for the past few months, it was good to take some time to breathe a sigh of relief. There wouldn’t be any more daily tours, no more crowds of people around the Institute, no more shepherding divers around the old temple and praying that they didn’t get themselves into too much trouble. There was nothing more than the usual drudgery of looking over the artifacts and working on the seal observations. By this time of year, he would welcome it. There was nothing more to do than the work he loved, and it gave him more chances to work with Mikleo.

Sorey smiled, leaning back against the counter. That was something that he almost looked forward to more than the artifacts, speaking with Mikleo about them. It would be good not to work in his own bubble. It was that kind of work that would make him go stale, no matter how much he kept up with other discoveries.

He pushed away from the counter, picking up his humming again. Mikleo would be at the picnic and he wouldn’t get called away for anything. There would be nothing to distract him, just good food and the promise of dancing with a beautiful man. Sorey smiled to himself, turning around to turn up the radio.

Sorey turned back around, smiling when he saw a familiar seal waiting by the open door. He waved at the seal, not surprised to see the seal carrying fish in his mouth. The gift of fish wasn’t a daily thing, but the seal’s appearance was. LR15 was always coming around, either for a quick visit or for a longer one. Sorey still hadn’t figured out why the seal had picked him as his special person, but he wouldn’t argue with it. It felt like he had finally settled in. Everyone in Camlann seemed to have a seal that preferred their company. It felt like he had finally arrived, although the idea made him laugh.

“I see you brought lunch.”

The seal bobbed its head, only then coming into the house. LR15 took care to wipe his flippers and stomach against the mat before coming in any further. Sorey watched the seal make his way into the kitchen out of the corner of his eye. He reached up to take a plate, setting it down on the ground. He turned to start collecting the things he would need to cook the fish.

LR15 set the fish delicately on the plate, nudging it carefully towards Sorey. Sorey bent over to take the plate, lingering there long enough for the seal to press his nose against his cheek. Sorey smile at the kissing sound that LR15 made. It was a habit, one that the seal had made. He was always snuggling up to him, always pressing his nose against any part of him that he could reach. 

Sorey straightened up, feeling the seal lean against him. Sorey looked down, shaking his head. “I’ll make sure you get your share, just the way you like it.”

The seal bobbed his head again, Sorey turning to watch as LR15 made his way over to his favorite spot on the carpet, one right next to Sorey’s favorite chair. Sorey leaned against the counter, watching as LR15 got himself comfortable. The seal sighed and he settled himself into the partial curl.

It looked like he was about to drift to sleep when LR15 stuck his nose higher into the air. Sorey smiled as the seal sniffed at the air, shaking his head when the seal turned an interested gaze over to him.

“Not for you.” The seal huffed, Sorey ignoring the chiding look. “No, and I’m not bending on that. I’m breaking the law enough for you. I don’t want you getting too picky to eat fish.”

The seal gave him a glare before slapping a flipper against his side. Sorey took that as his answer, but Sorey didn’t bend. He wasn’t about to tempt fate by giving the seal some of the hamsili pilav. He didn’t know enough about the contents of a seal’s stomach to know what would upset it. He was sure that he was pushing it with the extras he added to the fish.

He stepped away from the counter to move over to the sink. He carefully extracted his cutting board and a knife from the pile, pausing to wipe the two of them down with a towel. Sorey tossed the towel over the shoulder, looking over the seal. LR15 looked comfortable where he was, his head and hind flippers twitching slightly in time with the music.

Sorey smiled at the seal before taking the plate to the sink, humming along to the song on the radio.

* * *

Sorey backed up as a couple came towards the edge of the informal dance floor. He smiled and waved at Lailah as she was dipped. He got a giggle as a response before Zaveid swept her away, the two of them waltzing back into the crowd. Sorey watched them go with a smile, shaking his head. He couldn’t figure out how the two of them did it but, then again, he had never been good at formal dancing. He watched as Zaveid and Lailah for a moment more before carrying on around the edge of the dance floor.

He edged his way around the spectators, exchanging greetings with a few people. Most of them went back to clapping along with the music and laughing. Sorey glanced between a few of the spectators, smiling at the people dancing. Most of them were couples or children, it was still early enough in the evening for the latter, although probably not for long.

Sorey waved at a sleepy toddler resting against their father’s shoulder. The toddler nuzzled closer to their father, Sorey turning away to leave them alone. He didn’t intend on staying for too long anyway, his goal was on the outer edge of the circle, where the food was.

Dessert had been brought out not an hour ago and there was still bound to be some left. And Sorey was sure that he would find Mikleo hovering there. It’s where he had left him when he had helped Boris haul Sergei back to their boat. The man had managed to get himself drunk enough that he had started explaining scientific theories on why the Elysian seals acted the way they did to a tree.

He shook his head, ducking through the last of the crowd around the impromptu dance floor. Sorey took a deep breath as soon as he was clear of them, taking in the night air. He could smell a hint of smoke from the bonfire and some of the torches that lit up the main square of Elysia. Just under that was the lingering smell of food, Sorey feeling his stomach grumble. It didn’t matter that he had stuffed himself completely full just a few hours ago, that had been dinner. Dessert was hard to avoid, especially when he would have to go over to the table anyway.

Sorey peered through the dim light at the edge of large gathering, smiling when he picked out Mikleo easily. The man was over by the dessert table, slowly making his way along it as he loaded up a plate. The pickings were slim, the desserts had been devoured nearly as quickly as they had been brought out. Mikleo himself had been mobbed when he had brought out a large bowl of soft serve, which was apparently his specialty. Sorey considered himself lucky that he had gotten a cone, although he had his suspicions of why. The line had seemed to dissolve away when he had approached, only to reform when he had gotten his prize.

He sidled up to the end of the table, smiling as Mikleo edged towards him. Mikleo glanced up at him, speeding up slightly to reach the end of the table.

Sorey glanced down at the overloaded plate that Mikleo was carrying, raising and eyebrow. “You think you have enough?”

“Probably, but I may have gotten a little too much.” Mikleo held up the plate. “Want to help me?”

Sorey nodded, following Mikleo into the darkness. He wasn’t led too far away from the rest of the party, he could still hear the music and see the crowd as the people danced. But it was pleasantly muffled, Sorey relaxing a little bit. He looked forward to the cook out every year, but sometimes it got a bit much since it was on the heels of the tourist season.

He sighed, looking at Mikleo as he sat down on a bench. Sorey sat down close to him, leaning into Mikleo as he set the plate on their laps. Sorey reached out to grab a cookie, nibbling on it as he watched Mikleo start to dig in.

He raised an eyebrow as Mikleo practically inhaled a cupcake, shaking his head when Mikleo chased after some fudge buried under cookies. “You didn’t need my help did you?”

“I did, but I know you. And I know what you like.” Mikleo flicked the back of Sorey’s hand. “I’m just making sure I get my share.”

Sorey shook his head, leaning over to kiss Mikleo’s cheek. “Don’t worry about it, I got ambitious with dinner. And I don’t think you got a chance to have any of this. You were too busy getting attacked for your soft serve.”

Mikleo groaned and tipped his head back. “I regret making it.”

“Don’t. It was delicious.”

Mikleo looked at him out of the corner of his eye. He was only serious for a moment before he smiled. “You really think so? I’m a bit rusty at it…”

“Didn’t taste like it.” Sorey finished of his cookie, reaching in for a piece of fudge that was peeking out from behind a brownie. He popped the fudge in his mouth, chewing for a moment before shaking his head. “You’ve put me off any other ice cream. I’ll be expecting it from you now.”

Mikleo groaned and let his head fall onto Sorey’s shoulder. “Save me from that fate. It took me all afternoon to make that batch.”

“Then a trade. I saw how much you enjoyed the pilav, it was practically the only thing on your plate. I’ll cook dinner, you cook dessert?”

Mikleo huffed, shaking his head. “It sounds like you’re asking me to move in with you.”

Sorey tensed at that, his eyes going wide. “I…I…”

Mikleo sat up abruptly, the plate started to slide off his leg. Mikleo saved it before it could tumble to the ground, but Sorey was barely paying attention to that. Sorey stared at him, his heart beating faster.

His house wasn’t large, it just had three rooms; the main room, his bedroom and the office that he didn’t use. It was all on one story, sprawling out along the dunes so it wasn’t effected too badly by the winter storms. It was perfectly comfortable for one person, but he wasn’t sure about two. It would take some work for that to happen, but even then he couldn’t deny that the idea pleased him. It would be Mikleo around all the time, there to talk to. There to kiss.

Sorey licked his lips, shifting so he could look properly at Mikleo. “My house is small and I might have to do work on it but…yes. If you want to.”

Mikleo was blushing, but he was also nodding slowly. The motion stopped, Mikleo going still. “It’s only been a few months.”

“My house needs work anyway. But if…when it’s done and…”

Mikleo didn’t answer, he just set the plate back on their laps. Sorey looked down at it, watching as Mikleo picked through the desserts on it. Mikleo unearthed a piece fudge, turning it over in his fingers before lifting it up to press it against Sorey’s lips.

Sorey’s eyes widened, but he didn’t dare look away. He opened his mouth, letting Mikleo feed him the bit of fudge. He closed his mouth around Mikleo’s fingers, sucking the remains of chocolate off as Mikleo pulled them away. Sorey leaned after him, only barely catching the plate in time to keep it from falling off their laps.

He picked up the plate and set it on the other side of the bench, where it wouldn’t be in danger. Sorey took the chance to lean forward, his eyes fluttering shut as Mikleo cupped his cheek.

“No.”

His eyes snapped open, catching the look of shock on Mikleo’s face. Mikleo looked equally surprised. He reached out with his other hand, combing it through Sorey’s hair. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry. You know I don’t…” Mikleo took a deep breath and shook his head. “I’m not refusing you. I just…I need time to think. This is big.”

Sorey nodded, the tight knot of worry in his chest uncurling abruptly. There was some part of him that was disappointed, but that was the part of him that just wanted to jump head first into everything that he did. And Mikleo was right, it had only been a few months. It was alright to take things slowly, no matter how much he wanted to push.

He sighed and turned his head so he could kiss Mikleo’s palm. “Alright. Take your time.”

Mikleo sighed, scooting closer until his legs were tangled with Sorey’s. “Thank you. Don’t think that it means that I don’t want to be with you. I just…”

“Need the time to think. I understand.” Sorey smiled at him, watching as Mikleo relaxed further. He leaned forward to give Mikleo a peck on the lips, pulling away before he could linger too much. He wasn’t about to try and coax Mikleo into changing his mind. He just wanted to be close to Mikleo, and it felt nice and private on their little bench, tucked away from all the prying eyes.

He shifted back, sighing when Mikleo’s hands fell away from him. Sorey twisted around to grab the plate again, settling it in their laps. “And while you think, you should enjoy some dessert, since you missed it before. And, maybe, we might discuss a trial period.”

Mikleo reached down to grab one of the chocolate covered strawberries, studying it for a moment before looking up at Sorey with a smile. “I’d like that.”

Sorey breathed a sigh of relief, randomly grabbing another dessert from the plate. He leaned against Mikleo, feeling him rest his head on his shoulder. Sorey settled more comfortably against the bench, biting into the brownie as he watched the dancers in the firelight.

* * *

Sorey woke up slowly, the warmth of the sun almost enough to lull him back to sleep. There were no tourists to take on tour and nothing that demanded his attention. He, Boris and Sergei had just gone out to check on the ruins before the winter, just in case a big round of storms came through. He was just waiting on Boris and Sergei to get back from their rounds, and there was no harm in napping, not when everything was in order.

It was just hard when what he was cuddled up to was growling.

Sorey frowned at that, trying to piece things together. It didn’t make sense that it was growling, not when the only thing he could have rolled close to was his air tanks. They shouldn’t be growling in the first place, nor should they be soft.

He shifted, lifting his head. He saw Boris standing by the rail of the ship, the man looking annoyed as he made a shooing motion. “Get going!”

Sorey looked down at the thing that he had cuddled up to, sighing when he saw the familiar seal laying in his arms. LR15 was growling at Boris and seemed to have no intention of leaving. If anything, the seal was wiggling closer, trying to snuggle back into Sorey.

“No! Get away and get off my boat.”

Boris’ orders only got an annoyed bark, Sorey grunting as LR15 hauled himself onto his chest. He choked, reaching up to try and push the seal off, but LR15 seemed perfectly happy to growl at Boris from his new perch. Sorey wheezed out a breath, tapping at the seal.

It only got the seal to move so he wasn’t crushed as badly, but the seal’s weight still made him gasp. Sorey groaned and let his head fall back to the deck. That was enough to get the seal’s attention because LR15 peered down at him. The seal nosed at his face for a moment before pressing his nose against his cheek. LR15 made his customary smooching sound before sliding off his chest. The seal settled back against his side with a huff. Sorey was sure that he didn’t imagine that the sound was directed at Boris, especially not when the seal made a point of wiggling into a comfortable position against him.

Sorey shook his head at the seal before looking back over at Boris. The man stared at the two of them before throwing his hands up in the air. “Damn seals. Just do what you want then!”

LR15 puffed himself up, the seal resting his head on Sorey’s shoulder. Sorey rolled his eyes, reaching over to pat the seal’s side. “You know the rules.”

The seal gave him a pitiable look, rocking so he could rest a flipper on Sorey’s chest. Sorey looked down at the seal, shaking his head. “I have work.”

The flipper patted at his chest, LR15 nuzzling into his neck. Sorey groaned and poked at him again. “You know what Sergei will do if he finds out. And he will find out. Boris tells him everything.”

He heard Boris sputter at the accusation, but his attention was on the seal. LR15 heaved a sigh and rolled away from him. Sorey propped himself up on his elbows, watching as the seal moved back to the dive deck. LR15 turned back to look at them, Sorey sighing at the sad look on the seal’s face. He shook his head, expecting the long sigh that seemed to deflate the seal completely. Then LR15 was sliding off of the boat and into the water.

Sorey pushed himself up so he was sitting, looking towards one side of the boat. He could see the ripples where the seal had gone in but no sign of LR15. He was probably sulking through the water. Sorey expected to see him later on, hauled out on a distant rock. Or maybe LR15 would be waiting for him at his house. Sorey wouldn’t be surprised if he showed up with fish as a recommended start to an apology.

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. Sorey glanced over at Boris, regretting it a moment later. The man was leaning against the railing on the opposite side of the boat with a wide grin on his face.

Sorey heaved himself up onto one of the benches that ran along the railings, barely sitting down before Boris cleared his throat.

“Pleasant dreams?”

“Not that I can remember.”

“Then how did you get to be snuggling a seal?”

Sorey shrugged, stretching his arms above his head. “I don’t know. I was just waiting for the two of you to come back.”

Boris hummed thoughtfully, although the knowing smirk hadn’t left his face. “You don’t know? Well, let me see if I can jog your memory. Does it have something to do with a certain historian by the name of Rulay?”

Sorey blushed, but shrugged.  “I…I honestly don’t know.”

“But you looked awfully comfortable there.” Boris leaned forward. “You were definitely hugging him. And that seal had a smile as wide as your own.”

“That’s just the way their face is.”

“Yeah, but you get to know these seals. And your seal was smiling to beat them all.”

“Boris….” He groaned and leaned back against the rail. He shook his head, wanting to say something, but he doubted that there was an argument he could make. He might not be able to remember what he was dreaming about, but he knew that it had been nice. He’d been warm and snug, with something warm and comfortable in his arms. Now it made sense that it was a seal, but Boris wasn’t wrong either, there must have been some reason for him to have been curled up around the seal and he was sure that it had been Mikleo.

Sorey ran his hands over his face, staring up at the sky. He looked down at Boris, fully expecting the smirk still fixed on his face. He stared him down for a moment before shaking his head. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Then tell me your secret.” Boris gestured out towards the sea. “You get a seal that just wants to be with you, and without another one always chasing you down.”

Sorey shrugged. “I don’t have a secret. I’m under the impression that the seals just choose people. Right? I just got one without attachments.”

“You’ll never know how lucky you are…” Boris glanced over his shoulder and froze.

Sorey frowned and shifted to the side, looking out the other side of the boat. He saw two seals hauled out on a rock, Sorey perking up when he recognized them. Both of them had a yellowish sheen, but the larger male looked like he was practically sitting on the smaller seal. HY49 looked put out by it, but UW30 looked unrepentant. In fact, he seemed to be glaring at Boris.

Sorey looked back at Boris as he shuddered. He scooted over to give Boris room on the bench. Boris was quick to come over, sitting down beside him. He played with the top of his diving suit, unzipping it a bit. He sighed and leaned back against the railing.

“Sergei should be up soon, which means we can move away from them before the Little Lady slips away from The Dragon.” Boris shuddered. “I don’t particularly want to have him try to cuddle.”

Sorey chuckled, and shook his head. “You’d be a pancake.”

Boris shivered. “I’d prefer to avoid that. Sergei’s fury would be preferable to that. Speaking of which,” Boris looked over at him, “I won’t tell him about your cuddly buddy. Sergei’s heart is in the right place, but these seals don’t seem to care about the law.”

“Tell me about it.” Sorey tipped his head back against the railing. He felt the corner of his mouth twitch up all the same. He couldn’t imagine what would happen if the seals avoided everyone. Camlann and Elysia just wouldn’t be the same without the seals wandering in and out.

He shifted to a more comfortable position, closing his eyes again. It was too warm to do anything but nap and Sorey was not reluctant in the least. He had stayed up late the night before with Mikleo. They had managed to go through all of the artifacts that needed to be input into the system and started to work on the ones that were in danger of falling apart. Sorey was sure that the two of them would have stayed there all night if Mikleo hadn’t caught the time, not that he had regretted it. Time had flown, although he was suffering for it.

Sorey yawned wide, slumping against the rail. He thought he heard Boris laugh, but he ignored the sound. He was comfortable enough where he was and Sergei seemed inclined to be taking his time. Sorey wouldn’t complain, not when it felt so good to close his eyes and just let himself doze.

* * *

Mikleo jumped as a mug was set in front of him. He looked up from his book at his mother, giving Muse a smile. He slid his bookmark into place, sliding his book away from him. Mikleo curled his fingers around the mug, cradling it close to him. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Muse sat down across from him with her own mug. She took a seat across from him, cradling her mug in her hands. “It’s been a while since we’ve had an evening together. You’re usually out every night.”

Mikleo froze with his mug part of the way to his mouth. He stared at his mother, his gaze darting briefly over to where Michael was ensconced in his chair. His uncle met his gaze before shaking his head, his attention quickly going back to his book. Mikleo made a face and looked back at his mother. There would be no help coming from Michael, not that Mikleo expected much. Knowing his uncle, he was in cahoots with Muse about this. As always, Michael would act as back up for his sister, Mikleo was used to the arrangement from his childhood.

He sighed and set the mug on the table. Mikleo eyed his mother as he slumped down into his chair. “We’ve gotten most of our work done. Even then, it was too late for anything else to be open.”

“You don’t have to go out for it to be a date.”

“I know.” Mikleo ran his finger along the edge of the table. “But the tide wasn’t in my favor today.”

“Why should that be a problem?”

Mikleo bit his lip at the question, struggling not to shoot a glare over at Michael. He curled his fingers along the edge of the table, taking a deep breath. “I know I could just swim back but we tend to lose track of the time. And I didn’t want to be getting in late…”

He trailed off, fixing his gaze on the mug of tea rather than his mother. He didn’t trust himself not to give too much away if he looked at her. Muse was good at reading him, too good for his tastes. Then again, if he was looking away, that was probably all of the answer that she needed. He took a deep breath, about to try to explain himself for when he heard Muse laugh. Mikleo swallowed and looked up at his mother, watching as she hid her mouth behind her hand.

It took her a moment to gather herself together, and even then she was still giggling. “Oh Mikleo, you’re an adult. You don’t have a curfew.” Muse lifted her hand away, waving it vaguely. “Besides, you’re a responsible young man. All you’d have to do is call and leave a message.”

“But-”

“There’s nothing wrong with staying over at your boyfriend’s house.” Muse seemed to be struggling not to laugh even as she spoke. Mikleo tried his best to glare at her, but it didn’t work. Muse shook her head, reaching out to hold his hand. She squeezed it, giving him a gentle smile. “I’m not going to lecture you about your choices. You’re old enough to make them. I’m just here if you need advice.”

Mikleo slumped against the table. He nudged his mug of tea away so it wouldn’t get knocked over. He stared at his mother from his new position, feeling her squeeze his hand. “What is it Mikleo? I thought you would be relieved, or at least have an argument ready. And I’m waiting to hear from you.”

The last bit was directed towards Michael. Mikleo turned his head to look at his uncle, watching as Michael shrugged and shifted on the chair. “I’d prefer to stay out of this.”

“I thought as much.” Muse sighed and looked back at Mikleo. “But that doesn’t explain you. What’s keeping you from sassing me back?”

Mikleo huffed, shaking his head. “I’ve never sassed you in my life.”

Muse raised an eyebrow, the motion enough to tell him that he had lost his own argument. He groaned and turned his head so his forehead was pressed against the table.

“Oh Mikleo.” He felt her fingers comb through his hair. “What’s the matter?”

Mikleo was tempted to just grumble and moan, hoping that it would be enough to put his mother off. He didn’t really want her to leave him alone, but he didn’t want to have to explain what he was thinking. It was hard enough to figure out how to articulate it himself.

He felt Muse’s fingers card through his hair a few more times before she tapped his head gently. “Talk to me, sea star. What’s wrong?”

Mikleo was tempted to shake off the question, if only to give himself more time. He had thought that he had been ready. He’d taken the entire day to prepare, and it still wasn’t enough. There were piles of crumpled up paper in his trash can to prove that.

He groaned and pressed his forehead harder against the table, counting down from ten. Zero came all too soon, and Mikleo was tempted to start counting again. The gentle touch of his mother’s fingers was enough to dissuade him. He didn’t want to worry her too, it might be enough to convince her to keep him at home until he felt better. And that might just be enough to coax Sorey over, and there would be no escaping this then. He’d probably forget all about it again, at least until the next big relationship milestone. And then it would start to eat at him again.

Mikleo lifted his head, leaning his cheek against his arm as he looked at his mother. “What am I going to tell him?”

“Who? Sorey?”

Mikleo nodded, slowly pushing himself upright. He reached for his mug of tea, wrapping his hands around it to steady himself with the warmth. He took a few breaths to steady himself before looking at his mother again. “He asked me to move in with him.”

Muse squeaked, but the sound was covered by the thud of a book. Mikleo glanced over at Michael, surprised to see him looking so shocked. Mikleo swung his gaze back over to his mother, expecting the same thing.

There was some lingering shock, but it disappeared quickly. She got a better hold on his hand, Muse smiling at him. “Really? And what did you say?”

“No.” Mikleo took a deep breath, pushing on before Muse could say anything else. “But I just needed to stall for time. I haven’t…I didn’t have the chance to…” Mikleo reached up to rake a hand through his hair. “I haven’t told him.”

“Oh Mikleo.”

“I don’t know what to tell him.” Mikleo looked at his mother before slumping back in his chair. “I don’t know if I can even tell him at all. He might not believe me, and think I’m insane. Or worse, what if he believes me.”

“Why is that worse?”

“Because it’s not just about me. What about the rest of you?” Mikleo drummed his fingers against the mug. It was the only thing that would keep him still enough to finish what he had to say. “What we are, it’s not just my secret. And, if I tell him…Mama, he’s not dumb, he’ll figure it out.”

Muse shifted in her seat. She set her mug down and folded her hands in front of her. He breathed a sigh of relief at the serious look on her face.

She let them sit in silence for a moment longer before nodding. “What do you think he will do?”

Mikleo’s mouth dropped open his shock. He stared at his mother before shaking his head. “He won’t do anything. He’s not like those men from the stories. He’ll just make the connection. He’ll know I’m a selkie and he’ll how know I act as a seal.”

The floorboards creaked as Michael made his way over to the table. Mikleo was glad for the distraction, watching as his uncle sunk into the chair. He frowned when he saw how gingerly Michael was moving. His uncle wrapped an arm around his ribs, using his free hand to push away Muse. “I’m fine. Stop fussing.”

“I will when you stop shuffling around the house like Gramps does.” Muse gave him a worried look, the expression turning into a frown when Michael waved her off. The dismissal was softened by the way he left his hand resting on the table close to where Muse’s hand was.

Michael turned his attention to Mikleo, studying him carefully. “If you tell him, you think that he’ll figure out that the rest of us are selkies.”

Mikleo shrugged helplessly. “We haven’t exactly done anything to hide it. All of Camlann knows we have the pelts. They even display the fake one that Taccio skinned that one year. And it’s not like we bother to act like other seals. It’s not a difficult conclusion to come to. When he does, it’ll mean that he knows about everyone.”

“Mikleo, that’s not something you have to worry about.”

“But it is!” He looked up at his mother, confused by her lack of comprehension. “I checked the marriage records and no one has married outside of the island for years, and the Haria selkies don’t count, they’re like us. And if they aren’t in the marriage records, then they’re like you. You never had to worry about it because the seals down the coast don’t care about all of this. They just like to bellow and fight and then mate with all the girls on the beach.”

Muse sighed, shaking her head. “Don’t sell your father so short. He was very tender.”

“For a seal.” Michael leaned away as Muse slapped at him. He winced as he reached the limits that his ribs would allow. Michael dropped one hand to rub at his side. “Muse…”

She sighed and waved her hand dismissively. “Alright. It wasn’t something that I had to worry about for your sisters or you. But you shouldn’t worry either.”

“Why not? I can’t find anything that says that this is allowed. I know I could avoid all of this by lying, but then what would be the point.” Mikleo pushed his hands into his hair, taking a deep breath. “I don’t want to spend half my time with him as a human and half my time as a seal, especially when he wouldn’t know. I don’t want to spend all of my life lying to him.”

The chair scraped across the floor as Muse got up. Mikleo watched as she came around the table, slumping when she wrapped her arms around him. He leaned into her gratefully, closing his eyes as she patted his hair. “My little sea star.” She pressed a kiss to the top of his head before crouching down beside his chair. “If you don’t want to, then don’t.”

“But-”

“I can promise that we’ll all understand.”

“We’ve all seen you with him.” Michael scooted his chair closer, reaching out to pat Mikleo’s arm. “We all this day would come, eventually.”

Mikleo stared at his uncle before dragging his gaze back to his mother. Muse smiled and reached up to cup his cheek. “You see? We have your back with this, whether you want to tell him or not. I only ask that you bring him to dinner before you move in with him. I want to speak with the man that’s captured your heart like this.”

Mikleo blushed. “Mama, you’re talking about this like it’s forever.”

She smiled fondly at him. “You take after me in almost all things, but you take after your uncle in this. The two of you can be hopeless romantics.”

Michael huffed at her assessment, sitting up in his chair again. Mikleo could only smile and shake his head. “The two of us have nothing on Sorey.”

“Then I look forward to meeting him, in this situation. I think we’ll have plenty to talk about.”

Mikleo groaned at the grin on her face, but he didn’t bother to move away as she pulled him close. Muse kissed his forehead, Mikleo feeling her smile against his skin. She pulled away a moment later, ruffling his hair like she had done when he was a child. He laughed but didn’t bother to push her away, just smiling when she finally stood up.

Muse looked between him and Michael before shaking her head. “I think this calls for more tea. And then, Mikleo can tell us about his boy. All I’ve heard his Michael singing his praises.”

Michael grumbled and shifted in his chair. “He’s a good historian. There’s no crime in that.”

“Well, you’ll just have to hold back. It’s Mikleo’s turn tonight.”

Michael continued to grumble, although he was still smiling. Mikleo shook his head at his uncle, looking up at his mother as Muse settled back in her chair. She curled her hands around the teacup, giving him an encouraging nod. “So, what’s he like?”

Mikleo looked down at his tea, tempted to delay by taking a sip, but his mother would wait him out either way. There was no escaping from talking to her, but that might not be a bad thing. His mother might be digging for information, but he was sure that he would get plenty of advice sprinkled into the mix of detailed and embarrassing questions.

He took a deep breath, curling his fingers around his mug, before he started to talk.

* * *

Sorey jumped at another boom of thunder, glancing at the windows before shaking his head. From the sound of it, things were shaping up to be a large storm, and so soon in the fall. Sorey shook his head, looking back at the candles that he was laying out. With the way it was sounding, the power might go out and he didn’t know when the storm would let up to allow him to go out and turn the generator on. His house may have been far enough to weather even the worst of the waves that made it through Elysia and the smaller barrier islands in Mabinogio Bay, but that wouldn’t stop him from getting soaked through. Besides, between the wind and the rain it was sometimes better to sit the worst of it off and wait for the power company to turn things on again. That meant having plenty of candles and wood of the fire.

He ran his fingers over the candles, counting them out. There were plenty to last him through this storm, but he would have to stock up for the winter. Mabinogio might not get the tropical storms that Southgand got, but it got plenty of ice and snow. Candles would be necessity, as would more firewood. Sorey sighed and leaned against the counter. Some of his store could be supplemented by driftwood, which meant that he would have to spend a weekend combing the dunes and the slight forest that started at the edge of the beach. The rest would have to come from the store when they got their shipments in. That was something to put on the to do list.

Sorey tipped his head back as the windows rattled, sighing at the sound. He was going to be in for a long night, which was fine by him. He had a comfy chair and a stack of books that he had to catch up on. The sound of the storm was more than relaxing enough. The sound of rain had meant something different to him growing up. It wasn’t the annoyance that it was here, it meant renewal and an end to the endless heat. It meant that they didn’t have to be careful with water. Even three years in Camlann couldn’t change that.

He closed his eyes, listening to the patter of the rain on his windows. If this was Lohgrin, he was sure that he would hear people shouting in the streets and running through the rain. In the other rooms he would hear the scratch of his mother’s pencil or, alternately, the soft clink of her paint brush as she dipped it back into the water. Beneath that, he would be able to hear the click of Mayvin’s keyboard and the soft sound of jazz as the old man worked.  It was a cherished memory, and one that made him miss his family.

Maybe it was time that he brought Mayvin and his mother to Camlann to take a breath from their work. He doubted that it would be much of a vacation knowing the two of them, Mayvin would still take notes and Selene would sketch. It would still be time away, time spent with him.

Time spent with him and Mikleo.

Sorey licked his lips, turning the idea over before shaking his head. It had only been a few months, just like Mikleo said. Maybe it would be good to wait it out, at least until the winter was over.

He took a few deep breaths, ready to go and settle into his chair when there was a large crack of thunder. Sorey opened his eyes and looked up at his ceiling, frowning when he heard a sound under the thunder. He looked back down at the door, pushing away from the counter when the knock came again.

He couldn’t think of who would be coming out to his house in the storm, save for Rose. She could have been on her way back from visiting Brad. Then again, the two of them knew the area well enough to be able to read the weather. Everyone had been pulling their boats up just a little bit higher on the beach and checking their moorings all day. The boats from Elysia had all practically gone back save for two, and Sorey had seen them loading up for one last supply run so the village could sit out the storm.

Sorey reached for the door as the knock came again, pulling it open quickly. The motion surprised the person on the other side because they froze mid knock, but Sorey was equally as surprised. Of all the people he expected to find at his door, Mikleo was not one of them.

Mikleo looked completely soaked through, not that Sorey was surprised. It was pouring.

He stepped out of the way, motioning inside. He was about to say something when the next of rumble of thunder drowned him out. Thankfully, Mikleo seemed to understand.

Mikleo shuffled inside, Sorey biting his lip when he noticed how Mikleo was shivering. He shut the door behind him, immediately darting over to his second chair and pulling the blanket from the back of it. Sorey wrapped it around Mikleo, rubbing his shoulders. “That better?”

Mikleo nodded, leaning into him. Sorey smiled, not bothering to resist the urge to kiss the top of Mikleo’s head. “What are you doing out in this weather?”

“I…uh…got a bit distracted. I mean to just grab some work in case we got stuck on Elysia. I didn’t want to fall too far behind. But I just…lost track of time and they left without me. So I thought I might….take you up on that offer of a trial run.”

Sorey chuckled and came around Mikleo to press their foreheads together. “Like I’d turn you out in the rain. Not when you’re soaked through.” Sorey reached up to push some of Mikleo’s sodden hair away from his face. “I think we’d better get you warmed up first. Bathroom is down the hall, through the bedroom. Help yourself to any clothes that you need while I get some tea. And I might have some leftover pilav from yesterday.”

Mikleo perked up, Sorey having to bite his lip to keep from laughing. He leaned in to kiss Mikleo gently. He heard Mikleo hum, wrapping his arms around Mikleo’s waist. It was hard to just stop, especially when Mikleo was leaning into him. It was only the wet touch of his clothes that gave Sorey pause.

He pulled away reluctantly, nudging Mikleo in the direction of the bedroom. “Go on, before you catch a chill.”

Mikleo looked down at himself, looking back up with a wry smile. “I probably should.” He reached up to adjust the blanket over his shoulders, glancing down at the floor. “I’m sorry for dripping all over your floors.”

“Don’t worry about it. I blame the weather, not you.” Sorey sighed as the thunder rumbled again. He looked up at the ceiling, listening to the steady patter of rain. It didn’t sound like the storm was about to stop or was moving through quickly, which meant that Mikleo would be stuck for a while.

He looked back down in time to catch Mikleo disappearing down the hall. Sorey smiled, managing to hold himself together until Mikleo was out of sight. Then he collapsed back against the counter, grinning. He swallowed, reaching up to rub a hand over his face but it did nothing to stop the grin.

Mikleo was in his house for the night, or maybe longer if the storm went on. Sorey bit his lip, staring up at the ceiling. It was a heady thought, one that made his heart race. It wasn’t the two of them moving in together, but a practice run couldn’t be that bad, even if it was just the length of a storm.

He shook his head, looking back at the fridge. He couldn’t waste too much time daydreaming, he had promised Mikleo food and something warm to drink. It wouldn’t take him too long to dry off and change clothes and Sorey wanted it to be ready. It was bad enough that Mikleo had gotten left behind and had to walk through the rain to his house. Mikleo deserved better than to be made to wait for something to warm him up. Sorey shot a glance over at the fireplace, tempted to start a fire. It would help warm the house, although none of the lights had gone out. He studied the fireplace before shaking his head. He’d start the water and the food and then set up the fireplaces. If the power went out, he wanted to be ready.

Sorey went over to the fridge, pausing to look at the chairs. He’d have to grab a few more blankets for them, just to have around. The power and the heat might be on, but it would be getting colder the longer the storm went on. Sorey shook his head, about to search through his leftovers when he heard the floorboards creak.

He stepped back, to get a better look down the hall. He was expecting Mikleo to ask about the shower or to clarify something. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of Mikleo in one of his button down shirts, and nothing else.

Sorey reached out to brace himself against the wall, breathing out a word that might have been Mikleo’s name or random nonsense. He wasn’t sure he managed to get either of them completely out, he was too busy staring at where the shirt fell to midway down Mikleo’s thighs. It just drew attention to Mikleo’s legs, which made him want to run his hand along Mikleo’s leg and up underneath the shirt.

Sorey swallowed, dragging his gaze back up to Mikleo’s face. Mikleo was blushing, but he wasn’t retreating.

Mikleo reached up to play with his hair, coiling a strand around his fingers. It looked like he was having the same problem speaking, although he kept glancing at Sorey and looking away. He finally focused on the floor, scuffing at it with his toes. “I…I was just thinking that…I mean it’s been proven that…” Mikleo shut his eyes and took a deep breath, Sorey’s eyes widening as he spoke in Elysian. “I desire to make love to you.”

Sorey sucked in a quick breath, not able to get an answer out before Mikleo clapped his hands over his mouth with a squeak. Mikleo’s eyes went wide, but he didn’t move. Sorey took that as a good sign, daring to take a step forward. He waited long enough to see if Mikleo would retreat. When he didn’t, Sorey crossed the space between them.

He reached up to gently pull Mikleo’s hands away from his mouth, threading his fingers through Mikleo’s. Mikleo still had the same shocked and terrified look on his face, Sorey shaking his head at it. “Did you come all the way here just to seduce me?”

Mikleo shook his head. “No. None of this is according to plan.”

“You just needed a place to get out of the storm.”

“Yes.” Mikleo nodded slowly. “But then I realized I was in your bedroom, wearing your clothes and I just-”

Mikleo cut himself off by rocking up onto his tiptoes. Sorey moved to meet him halfway, not daring to let go of Mikleo’s hands as they kissed. He was almost afraid that Mikleo would run back into the bedroom and lock himself there, but the worry was quickly banished as Mikleo walked forward. Sorey grunted as he was shoved up against the wall.

Mikleo untangled their fingers, pushing his into Sorey’s hair to hold him in place, not that Sorey had any intention of going anywhere. Mikleo was pressed up against him and kissing him so desperately, so there was nowhere else he wanted to go.

He moaned as Mikleo rubbed up against him, feeling Mikleo tense a moment later. Sorey reluctantly broke the kiss, studying Mikleo’s expression carefully. The shock was still there, which worried him.

He reached up to brush his fingers over Mikleo’s cheek. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“It isn’t that.” Mikleo shifted in place as he offered him a nervous smile. “It’s just that this is kind of fast for me.”

“Too fast?”

“No. The thought just occurred to me.”

Sorey hummed, brushing a piece of Mikleo’s hair behind his ear. “Do you want to stop?”

“No.” Mikleo tuned his head to kiss Sorey’s palm. Sorey shivered at the light touch, his breath catching as the flick of Mikleo’s tongue against his skin. He stared at Mikleo as he stepped away. Mikleo was still blushing, but he looked surer of himself. “I want you to make me forget what language I’m speaking.”

Sorey pushed away from the wall, staring at Mikleo as he walked down the hall to the bedroom. He took a stumbling step forward, encouraged in the motion by the coy look that Mikleo threw back over his shoulder. Dinner could wait a little bit longer, Mikleo looked too delicious in his shirt to ignore. Besides, he wanted to see just how many of those languages he could coax out of Mikleo.

* * *

Sorey combed his fingers through Mikleo’s hair, trying to get out the worst of the tangles that he had put into it. He found another one, gently picking it apart while watching Mikleo. From the way that Mikleo was sprawled over his chest, Sorey doubted that Mikleo would be moving anytime soon, but that was no excuse not to be careful.

He shivered as Mikleo’s fingers twitched against his side, Mikleo quick to press an apologetic kiss against his skin. Sorey smiled, dropping his hand out of Mikleo’s hair to stroke down his back. Mikleo hummed in response, shifting lazily. It took a few more minutes of gentle petting to get Mikleo to move, Sorey groaning as Mikleo straddled him.

“I don’t think I can, not again.”

“Neither do I. I think we earned this break.” Mikleo leaned forward to kiss his forehead, lingering there for a while.

Sorey smiled at the closeness, shifting his hold so he could support Mikleo better. He heard Mikleo hum his thanks before the man sat up. Mikleo leaned back into his hold, seemed content to stay there until his stomach growled.

Sorey chuckled as Mikleo glanced down with a huff of annoyance. He rubbed his thumbs over Mikleo’s hips, trying to pull Mikleo’s attention back to him. It worked, although Mikleo poked at his shoulder. Sorey laughed and snagged Mikleo’s hand, bringing it up to his lips to kiss. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You would.” Mikleo rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his face. He leaned over for a quick kiss before sliding off of Sorey.

Sorey rolled over to his side, trying to let his hand linger on Mikleo’s skin as long as possible. Mikleo was nice and warm now, so there was no reason to worry about him catching a chill, but Sorey didn’t want to let him go. He wanted to be able to keep running his hands over Mikleo’s skin, memorizing every section of it. He let his hand drop as Mikleo moved too far away from him to reach. He sighed, watching as Mikleo stretched. If they couldn’t just stay in bed, maybe he could convince Mikleo that he didn’t need to put on clothes. The storm was still going and it was only the two of them. There were a couple of places on Mikleo’s body that he hadn’t gotten the chance to study properly.

His contemplation of the small of Mikleo’s back was interrupted by his own stomach growling. Sorey sighed and kicked his foot free of the sheet that was wound around it. He heaved himself upright, pausing when he saw that Mikleo was staring at the floor. Sorey watched Mikleo for a moment before leaning to the side, looking at the messenger bag on the floor.

It was Mikleo’s, he recognized the boarder of sea stars that had been embroidered onto the front flap. Mikleo must have dropped it on the floor went he had gone to change. Sorey shivered at the memory of Mikleo in one of his shirts. He shook his head, his attention jumping to something that had fallen out of the messenger bag. Sorey tipped his head, his eyes widening when he realized what he was looking at.

He had always known that Mikleo had a pelt, but he had never expected to see it. Or, he had never expected to see it just out in the open. They were sacred and precious things, and Mikleo was just carrying his around in his bag.

Sorey shifted on the edge of the bed, biting his lip. He desperately wanted to ask Mikleo if he could see it, because it was fascinating.

He was familiar with the one in the Institute’s museum, the one that Taccio had generously loaned them. It was a good job, the entire pelt cut free with no mistakes. The dead seal hadn’t been an Elysian seal so the pelt didn’t have the same sheen nor did it have their speckles. The pelt was in good shape too despite the fifty years that had passed since the animal had been skinned, but Sorey had heard plenty of Elysians say that it just didn’t look the same; that the pelt just looked dead. He’d never understood but, if Mikleo had his pelt, then it was a chance to.

He swallowed, trying to figure out a way to ask Mikleo if he could take a look when Mikleo stepped towards the bag. Mikleo crouched, Sorey guessing that he was tucking the pelt away safely. He was surprised when Mikleo turned back around holding the pelt.

Sorey took a quick breath, staring at the carefully folded pelt that Mikleo held. The dim light from the room was barely enough for him to see the blue sheen on the seal’s fur, but that didn’t matter. He understood what the Elysians meant when they said that the other pelt didn’t look right. This one looked like it was a moment away from jumping out of Mikleo’s arms and galumphing around the house.

He stood up slowly, not daring to get too close. The pelts were sacred to the Elysians, a representation of their connection to the ocean and Amenoch. He didn’t want to presume too much.

Sorey stopped in front of Mikleo, staring down at where the seal’s head was carefully set on top of the folded pelt. “Wow. It’s beautiful.”

Mikleo blushed and nodded. “Y-you can touch it, if you want.”

Sorey reached out immediately, stopping himself just short of touching the pelt. He glanced at Mikleo, just to make sure that it was alright. He couldn’t see anything that showed that Mikleo was uncomfortable, but he lowered his hand slowly and carefully.

He shivered when he touched the pelt, petting the head of the seal. It felt just like any of the other seals, just like LR15. It didn’t feel like a seal that had been dead for generations, it felt warm and soft. Sorey stroked the fur the wrong way before smoothing it down again, watching as the blue shine appeared and disappeared. He turned his attention to the seal’s face, a little unnerved by the empty eyes. The pelt in the Institute had them, but they looked right. The sense of Mikleo's pelt being a living animal was too strong to just ignore, but the empty eyes sent a shiver down his spine.

Sorey traced around them anyway before flicking his fingers against the whiskers. He watched them bounce as he dropped his hand back to his side. He looked up at Mikleo with a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

Mikleo nodded, but he looked distracted. He shifted in place, his fingers curling into the pelt. “This is the real reason I was out here. I mean, I did get distracted at the Institute but, when I realized what happened I thought that this was a good chance.”

Sorey blinked at him, trying to figure out what Mikleo was getting at. “For a trial run?”

“No.” Mikleo flinched and shook his head. “Yes, but it wasn’t the primary reason because I…I could have gotten home.”

“Not in this weather.” Sorey glanced towards the window, watching as the rain pelted down. “Not unless someone was coming for you.”

“I could have swum”

Sorey felt a flash of panic. He reached forward to grab onto Mikleo’s shoulders, just barely stopping himself from pulling Mikleo into a tight hug. He was very aware of the seal pelt between them, but Mikleo was just as precious to him. “No. You would drown or be swept out to sea, and there would be no one out there to get to you. And it would have…I would have…”

He took a quick breath, feeling it catch somewhere in his throat. He swallowed hard, trying to calm himself down in the face of the shock in Mikleo’s eyes. Sorey shook his head, carefully lifting his hands from Mikleo’s shoulders. “I’m sorry. It’s probably too fast but it doesn’t change that I love you. And it would destroy me if I lost you.”

“Sorey.” Mikleo sighed, leaning forward to press their foreheads together. “I know you do and I love you too. It scares me how much sometimes, because I’ve…I’ve been keeping something big from you. And I’m afraid of how you’ll react.”

Sorey felt his heart start to beat faster, his mind racing. There were too many things that Mikleo could mean.

He could already be married, either from his college days or to someone in Elysia. While Sorey felt sick with the idea of causing someone else pain like this, he was sure that he would just take Mikleo and run. It was the sort of action that he never would have condoned, but it was Mikleo and he was already in too deep.

Or he could by lying about his doctorate, but Sorey didn’t care about that in the least.

Or he could be lying about his work and stealing Sorey’s, which made him worried. He couldn’t imagine what kind of trouble that Mikleo had gotten himself into to resort to that.

Or Mikleo could have been faking all of this, the relationship, everything.

Sorey swallowed, staring hard at Mikleo.

Mikleo was shaking hard, still clutching to the pelt like it was his last hope. That in itself was almost a relief, because Sorey didn’t think Mikleo was faking if that was the way he was reacting. But that still left too many options open.

He reached out to touch Mikleo’s arm, hating the way that it made Mikleo jump. Sorey licked his lips, giving Mikleo’s arm an encouraging squeeze. “You can tell me.”

Mikleo shook his head. “You probably won’t believe me.”

“ _Please_ , Mikleo.”

Mikleo sucked in a quick breath, a shudder running through him before he nodded. He stepped away, Sorey resisting the urge to reach out and grab him again. He doubted that it would help, but he needed to be in contact with him. He was terrified that Mikleo would slip away from him, and then he would be back to the way that he was at the end of every other relationship he had been in; shattered, shaken and trying to pretend like he wasn’t.

Sorey swallowed and turned to follow Mikleo, watching as he walked back to the bed. Mikleo stared down at it before turning around abruptly. Sorey startled back, surprised when Mikleo shoved the pelt out towards him. “This is me.”

He stared at the pelt before nodding slowly. “I know it’s yours. You got it for graduating.”

Mikleo shook his head. “No. This is _me_. Look.” Mikleo threw the pelt on the bed, absently straightening it out. Sorey watched him until Mikleo used his free hand to motion him over. “Come on. Look.”

Sorey edged over to the bed, staring at the pelt. It looked like an Elysian seal, a well preserved one considering that it had been passed down through the family for generations. He reached out to brace himself against the bed, staring at the pelt before shaking his head. “Mikleo, it’s just a seal.”

“No. Just, look harder. Please.”

Sorey looked back at the seal, trying to figure out what Mikleo meant. He scanned over the seal, searching for anything that would connect the pelt to Mikleo. All he saw was an Elysian seal, with its blue sheen and speckles.

He tensed, looking over the pelt and the pattern of the speckles. He knew them, he’d seen them on the seal that had been his shadow since the animal had come back. Sorey reached out a shaking hand, brushing his fingers reverently over the seal’s head. “What did you do?”

“What? Nothing.”

Sorey spun around, pointing at the pelt. “That’s LR15! I’d know him anywhere. And he was alive earlier this afternoon.” Sorey stared at Mikleo his stomach twisting. “Was this what distracted you?”

Mikleo looked horrified. “Of course not.”

“Then how is this here?” Sorey looked away from him, looking around the room to find something to focus on what wasn’t Mikleo or LR15’s pelt. “Did he die? Did you find him like that?”

“No. He’s still alive.”

“How?!”

Sorey jumped when he felt Mikleo grab his wrist. He turned his gaze back to Mikleo, watching as Mikleo guided his hand to it was resting over Mikleo’s heart. Sorey stared at his splayed fingers, feeling the thunder of Mikleo’s heart. He curled his fingers slightly, looking back up at Mikleo. “I…I don’t understand.”

“Then just watch. And don’t….don’t look away.”

There was nothing for him to do but nod. Sorey turned with Mikleo, his hand finally dropping away from Mikleo’s chest when Mikleo moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Mikleo held his gaze, giving Sorey a nod before he picked up the pelt.

Mikleo shook it out, Sorey’s stomach jerking at the limp flop of LR15’s flippers. It was almost enough to get him to turn away, but he desperately wanted to know what was going on.

No one could own the Elysian seals, but Sorey had felt like LR15 was his. Sorey couldn’t imagine going through his day without LR15 by his side. Diving into the ruins would become a lonely job again, and he wouldn’t have anyone to bring him fish or talk to just to fill the silence.

Mikleo finished fussing with the pelt. He looked at Sorey before swinging it around him. The flippers draped over his shoulders, Mikleo having to duck his head awkwardly to get LR15’s head to rest on his. He held Sorey’s gaze for a moment before ducking his head and giving his body a shake. Sorey was confused by the motion until the head flopped over Mikleo’s, and then things slid into place.

He could only watch as the seal pelt settled over Mikleo. Sorey wasn’t sure if Mikleo shrunk or the pelt expanded, it was hard to tell. But both of them seemed to fold into and around each other. Sorey expected to see some kind of horror transformation, Sorey waiting for the crackle of bones or the sound of Mikleo trying to muffle any sounds of pain. But nothing like that came, just the slap of flippers at they were shaken out. The hind flippers took the longest to sort out, Mikleo twisting to look at them as they wiggled and flexed. He must have gotten them correct because the turned to look at him and Sorey was stunned.

It was LR15.

It was Mikleo.

It was too much.

Sorey stumbled backwards until he hit the wall, barely registering the impact as he stared at the seal on his bed. The seal was staring at him, the seal perking up as Sorey’s legs gave out. Sorey didn’t bother to try and stop himself as he slid down the wall, his mind turning frantically as he tried to understand what he was seeing.

He knew the seal and he knew the man, and they weren’t the same. Except he had just seen Mikleo fold himself into the seal’s pelt, which was impossible. The Elysian seals were too small for a human to hide under their pelt. Even then it wouldn’t explain the eyes. The pelt hadn’t had any, but those were LR15’s eyes looking worriedly at him from the edge of the bed.

Sorey grunted as he hit the floor, barely paying attention to it. His attention was on the seal that was sliding off the bed with a decidedly worried bark. Sorey watched as the seal bounced over to him, unable to do anything but go limp as the seal nudged his way between Sorey’s legs and into his arms.

LR15 nudged at him, first on his arm and then by his cheek. Sorey just sat through the nudges, staring at the seal as he tried to put the pieces together.

LR15 was Mikleo and Mikleo was LR15. Mikleo was a seal, but Mikleo was a human. It was a circle that he couldn’t seem to break out of because it didn’t make sense. Humans and seals weren’t the same thing in real life, only in myths.

Sorey jerked his head back, smacking it against the wall. The seal made a distressed noise, hauling himself further up into Sorey’s lap to nose at the back of Sorey’s head. Sorey let him do it, staring at the blue sheen in the seal’s fur.

The Elysian myths had always said that they had come from the sea and the seals. It was something that was present in every myth. The Great Thunderer had carried out his pranks as a human and a seal. All of the romantic stories had been about seals and humans, although most of them had been about what happened if they lost their pelts. Sorey had always thought that they had been meant as lessons against trusting outsiders, abusive relationships or a metaphor for virginity and what would happen if it was lost.

But what if it had never been a metaphor. What if it was literal?

Some part of him rebelled at the thought, the part that had been carefully coaxed and created by professors in universities. But he had also been taught to take evidence into consideration. And Mikleo was a seal. LR15 was a human. They were the same thing. So it was literal.

But if it was literal, then how far did it extend? How many Elysians had come directly from the sea as seals? Was it rare? Was it common?

Sorey was suddenly aware that he was being shaken. He blinked, jerking his head back when he saw that Mikleo was sitting in his lap as a human. He yelped as his head smacked against the wall, Mikleo quick to reach around and cup the back of his head.

“Don’t do that.” Mikleo gently rubbed the back of Sorey’s head. “Stay away from the wall, alright?”

“Okay.” Sorey reached out to touch the side of Mikleo’s head, running petting the divide between Mikleo’s hair and the seal pelt that was still resting on his head. He stared at it, meeting the pelt’s eyeless gaze. It was only when Mikleo squeezed his shoulder that he looked back down.

Mikleo was chewing on his bottom lip and looking like he wanted to run. He shifted in Sorey’s lap, pulling himself closer. Sorey shivered at the drag of fur against his bare leg. He didn’t get long to linger over it because Mikleo was stroking his cheek.

“Sorey? Sorey, talk to me.”

“How long?”

Mikleo tensed. “How long what?”

“How long have you been a seal?”

“Since I was born.”

“And your mother?”

“Her too?”

“E-everyone in Elysia?”

“Yes.”

“So…every seal…”

“Is an Elysian, yes.” Mikleo reached back to grab the hand in his hair. He squeezed it, the touch grounding Sorey. His answers were helping, but it was also making it all worse.

He tried to squeeze back, but he wasn’t sure he succeeded. “Who knows?”

“About us? You. Alisha and Boris suspect something is strange about us but they doesn’t know for sure.”

Sorey frowned at that, looking up to meet Mikleo’s gaze. “Why me?”

Mikleo took a deep breath. “Because I wanted to tell you. Because I was afraid of what would happen if I didn’t tell you. I _love_ you, Sorey, and I can’t imagine lying to you for the rest of my life. I don’t want to be Mikleo and LR15 to you, because that’s not who I am. Seal or human, I’m just me. It’s important to me, so I wanted you to know, because it’s the reason behind everything. Like why I wouldn’t move in with you.”

“It’s too fast.”

“I know.” Mikleo nodded. “I know. It is that, but it’s also what I am. I’m a selkie. I don’t want this to only be my home as a human. I want it to just be home. I don’t want to be two separate things to you, I just want to be with you.”

Sorey stared at him, trying to form a sentence that made sense. He wanted to be with Mikleo, more than anything in the world. But what he had been told was a lot, too much to just take in and accept. But he couldn’t say it that way, because he didn’t want Mikleo to leave. He needed more information, needed to hear Mikleo talk about it. It was as baffling as it was fascinating. More than anything, he just wanted to understand.

He’d had a certain view of the world, one that had been skewed wildly and he wanted the chance to put things in order again. He needed time to figure out how to add a mythical creature into the equation, because he needed to. There was no question about that. Denying all of it would mean denying Mikleo, and he couldn’t do that. He could _never_ do that.

Sorey swallowed and shifted one hand to reach out and touch the pelt. He kept his touch light and careful, watching Mikleo the entire time. The man didn’t flinch, but that didn’t tell him anything. Mikleo looked like he had braced himself for the worst, and Sorey couldn’t bear that.

He dragged his fingers over the pelt, watching as the fur shone in the light. The stories about the seal people came vividly to his mind, and what had always happened to them when they revealed something like this.

Sorey curled his fingers into the seal’s fur, carefully meeting Mikleo’s gaze. “I’ll never take this away from you. I promise.”

Mikleo jerked back in surprise, staring at him with wide eyes. Sorey watched him carefully before dropping his hand away. “It’s who you are, so I won’t take it away. But I do want to know more about it because it’s important to you. So it’s important to me.”

Mikleo scrambled up from his lap, clutching at the pelt as he paced the room. Sorey watched him in confusion, watching as Mikleo made a lunge for his bag. He stopped himself just short of grabbing it, turning to look at Sorey. “I…I don’t understand.”

“I want you to explain this to me.” Sorey sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. He glanced down at himself. “Preferably when we’re dressed. You could be a seal too if you wanted…but I kind of have questions, ones that can’t be answered with a yes or a no.”

Mikleo glanced down at his bag before looking back at him. “You’re alright with this?”

Sorey shrugged. “I’m confused, but I’m not about to run. I’ve studied those stories and you know that I love the ones with the seal people. It’s really strange but…I trust you. You said this was important, so I’m going to try and understand it all. But I’ll need your help with that. If you still want this.”

“I…I thought you’d want to run.” Mikleo sank down to his knees, staring at him. “It’s not normal for people like you. You should be running.”

Sorey scooted closer to him, quick to rest his hand over Mikleo’s. “I want to be with you. It’s a bit more than I expected but I love you and I like having that seal around. As far as I can tell, I’m getting everything that I wanted.”

Mikleo looked down at their hands, flexing his fingers in the carpet. Sorey took that as permission to inch closer. He watched Mikleo carefully until he was in kissing range, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to Mikleo’s cheek. That make Mikleo look back up at him, Sorey smiling and squeezing his hand. “Let’s get dressed and get some food in you and we can talk. Okay?”

Mikleo took a few deep breaths, Sorey sure that it meant that Mikleo was going to refuse and run off into the rain. He could just imagine Mikleo diving into the sea and never coming back again. After all, they had thought that he was migratory. It wouldn’t take much of an excuse for Mikleo to scuttle off into the human world and LR15 would disappear from the bay, both of which would be a tragedy.

To his relief, Mikleo met his gaze again, a shaky smile on his face. “You promised me pilav.”

“I did.”

Mikleo looked around the room, his gaze lingering on where their clothes had been thrown. “Your shirt was very comfortable.”

“You can wear it if you want. I might not be able to keep my hands off you if you do.”

Mikleo grinned at him, looking a bit more like himself. “Is that a promise?”

Sorey laughed and crawled forward to gather Mikleo into his arms. He sighed as he felt Mikleo hold him tightly. He tipped his head to the side, nuzzling into Mikleo’s hair and the seal fur. “It is.”

* * *

Sorey looked out from where he was toweling his hair off at a polite tap to his leg. He peered out from under the towel, smiling when he saw Mikleo hauled out beside him. The seal ducked his head to look at him, Sorey sure that Mikleo was smiling as the seal rolled close to nuzzle into him. Sorey reached out to rub at Mikleo’s stomach, giving him a pat when the seal went to roll away again.

Mikleo resettled himself on his stomach and flippers before nodding at the water. Sorey followed the motion, nodding when he understood. “I’ll meet you back there. See you in a few, sweetheart.”

Mikleo scooted closer, stretching his neck out to press his muzzle against Sorey’s cheek. Sorey chuckled at the kissing noise that he made, draping his arm over Mikleo and holding him close.

The moment didn’t last for long, Mikleo pulling away and galumphing into the water.

Sorey watched as the seal slid into the water, sighing when Mikleo was gone. He stood up, letting the towel fall around his shoulders. Sorey glanced back over his shoulder at a chuckle, watching as Boris made his way to the helm. Sorey went to join him, catching Boris just as he was shaking his head.

The man didn’t bother to explain until he had put the boat into gear, steering it back to the dock at the Institute. “Should I warn Mikleo?”

“Oh, he knows.”

Boris whistles. “He’s very understanding.”

“Well, he knows there’s not competition. He’s the only one for me.”

Boris groaned, rolling his eyes up towards the canopy above the wheel. “There’s no hope for you. It’s only getting worse.”

Sorey laughed and leaned back on the rail. He grabbed onto the towel around his neck as he leaned his head back, letting the wind ruffle his hair. It was the surefire way to get it dry faster because he wouldn’t remember to continue drying it as soon as the two of them were back. It was time to start the preparations for the tourist season again, so it would be nonstop as soon as they got back. But that was how things went in Camlann. The tourist season came as steadily as the tides.

Sorey hummed to himself, only opening his eyes when Boris groaned. The man looked over at him, shaking his head. “Your boy is waiting for you on the dock.”

Sorey stood up straight, smiling at the sight of Mikleo at the dock. He waved, his smile widening as he saw Mikleo wave back.

He pushed away from the railing, running around to the side of the boat even as Boris kept talking.

“Yep, that’s fine. I’ll take care of the boat. No problem.”

“Thanks Boris.”

“Yeah, well, you owe me!”

Sorey waved to show that he understood, too busy watching as the boat nudged up to the dock to give a better sign.

He didn’t wait for the boat to stop before he was scrambling onto the dock, reaching out for Mikleo’s hand to steady himself. He heard Mikleo grunt and he took his weight. Sorey quickly got his feet under him, using the momentum to carry himself into Mikleo’s arms.

Sorey leaned in to press a kiss to Mikleo’s cheek. “Hello again.”

Mikleo chuckled, the sound drowning out Boris’ over exaggerated protests. He reached down to take Sorey’s hand, squeezing it gently. “What took you so long?”

“Some of us can’t just swim back.”

“Really? Such a shame.” Mikleo smiled at him before jerking his chin back towards the building. “Some of us got back quickly enough to pull out the next box of artifacts.”

Sorey nudged his shoulder into Mikleo’s. “Would it be more of what we saw down there?”

“It just might be. After all, the harbor down there might not be a harbor at all. It might just be where houses were once. And we have the artifacts. A smart seal might have made the connection.”

“He must be a very smart seal.” Sorey leaned into Mikleo. “And a very handsome one.”

Mikleo preened a bit under the praise before he tugged Sorey along. “Come on, before Sergei catches us and gives up something else to do.”

Sorey groaned. “Maotelus save us from sorting more pamphlets.”

Mikleo laughed at that, Sorey basking in the sound. He smiled and held tightly to Mikleo’s hand as they walked back to the Institute.

END


	2. Seals and Sunshine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Sormik Week Day 7: Contentment.

Sorey looked up at a soft grunt, smiling as he watched Mikleo resettled himself. The seal was lounging in the beam of sunlight coming through the front door, a book laid out in front of him. Mikleo had been reading it on the chair earlier, but Sorey had seen him move to be in the sunlight. He had missed when Mikleo had rolled into his sealskin somewhere in the long bunch of forms that he had gotten lost in.

There was a treacherous simplicity to the seal logs, Sorey imputing the data and adding it to their system. Between that, the soft sound of the music over the radio and of lunch cooking he had fallen into the rhythm. It looked like Mikleo had been lulled as well, the sun working on the seal until he was asleep.

Sorey smiled to himself, watching the seal for a moment before getting up to walk around the table. He had gone through a lot of the seal logs, more than enough to have earned a break. Besides, lunch would be ready in a bit and he would need to finish it off. He groaned as something in his back popped, Sorey stretching his arms above his head.

He lowered his arms, looking down at himself with a chuckle. He hadn’t changed out of his swim suit from Mikleo’s early morning swim. He had intended to, but then he’d come back to a text from Sergei and ceded the shower to Mikleo first. He remembered Mikleo saying something about giving his skin a scrub and hanging it to dry for a bit in the sun and seeing the skin turned fur side down on the coat rack and in the sunlight.

Sorey had had every intention of getting a shower himself, but Sergei had been talking about seal logs and how the Environmental Authority of Hyland had started demanding their data, which meant that they would have an inspection sometime this year. Sorey could only hope that it wasn’t during the tourist season, or else they would be run off of their feet.

He ran a hand down his face, looking around before shrugging. It was a nice enough day and lunch was close enough to being done that he wasn’t going to bother. Knowing Mikleo he was going to want to swim before dinner, so there was no point in changing, at least not yet.

Sorey walked to the oven to check on where the mantı were boiling away happily. According to the timer and what he could smell, they were nearly done. Sorey leaned in and took a deep breath, smiling to himself. 

They smelled almost like what his mother had made, but he had been playing around with ingredients. In Lohgrin, it was far easier to get lamb meat than it was in Camlann. The thing in abundance was fish, especially with Mikleo and his in-laws. He had premade the mantı the night before when he was calling his mother, the two of them wanting to experiment with the family recipes. Mikleo had proven especially deft at folding them, although he tended to be overzealous with the filling. Sorey could see a few that had burst, but it was no matter, they would be preserved in the white sauce and eaten anyway.

He gave the mantı a gently stir before turning to get the bowls down. He ran his finger over the delicate paintwork, still in awe of it. 

They were locally produced and everywhere in Camlann. Myrna and her family had a little cottage industry, churning out as many dishes as possible and the orders still came in. It was a point of pride for them, that their plates were so well known through Hyland and very possibly beyond. Part of the call the night before had been his mother fawning over the plates and dishes that he had sent her for her birthday. Mayvin had been equally amazed and offended, mostly that they were expected to eaten off of.

Sorey shook his head, tracing out the stylized seals with their noses pressed together. His set had come with his wedding, and was decorated accordingly, with all the right designs and auspicious signs for the start of a good marriage. There was a rather questionable mug of a seal that looked remarkably like Mikleo lounging in lingerie that made Mikleo blush, but Sorey always laughed at it, because it was perfect.

He laid the plates out before going to the fridge to fish out the yoghurt. He frowned when he saw the contents of their fridge narrowed to a few tupperwares and a marinating fish. The latter was meant for dinner, and they might be able to add a few more tupperwares, but that would mean nothing for the next week, which meant shopping or fishing. Mikleo was always happy to do the latter, but Sorey couldn’t live on fish alone and Mikleo always got pouty if he couldn’t do his elaborate weekend desserts. They would have to start making a list soon.

Sorey placed the yoghurt on the counter, moving quickly to take the pot off of the heat and turn off the stove. He stirred the mantı one more time, giving them a serious look over before nodding. That was lunch done, and work completed, which wasn’t too bad for a Saturday. That still left them plenty of time, although for what Sorey didn’t know. They had a rare open weekend and he was determined to enjoy it.

He padded over to where Mikelo was still asleep in the sunbeam, smiling down at the seal. He crouched down next to Mikleo, reaching out to rest a hand on him.

Mikleo didn’t move, Sorey giving him a little shake as he spoke. “Mikleo, lunch is ready.”

He got a wide yawn in response, Sorey watching as Mikleo’s flippers came away from his sides and stretched out. Sorey claimed the nearest one, playing a little with the end of it while he waited for Mikleo to wake up.

Mikleo took a while, Sorey watching as the seal wiggled and grunted, finally waking up with a series of smacking noises. Sorey turned his attention to the flipper that he held, watching as Mikleo tapped his hand a few times before settling his flipper more firmly in Sorey’s hand.

Sorey stroked the soft, sun-warmed fur there. “Morning sleepyhead. Have a good nap?”

Mikleo bobbed his head and inched closer, playing his head in Sorey’s lap. Sorey reached out to scratch Mikleo’s back, listening to Mikleo sigh happily. “I’m going to take that as a yes. Well, since you’re up, you can get a blanket and set up things on the floor. I’ll get lunch, if you’re hungry that is?”

Mikleo perked up at that, the seal staring at him with dewy purple eyes. Then he propped himself up, Mikleo taking back his flipper from Sorey. He rolled partially to one side before slapping at his side with his flipper.

Sorey laughed at the insistent sound, leaning down to press his nose against Mikleo’s. Mikleo rubbed their noses together with a happy sound, his flippers tapping against the floor.

Sorey stayed there for a moment before getting up and going back into the kitchen. Behind him, he could hear the sound of Mikleo moving from the hardwood to the carpet of the sitting room. There was a grunt, a thud and then a snort, Sorey looking back to see Mikleo glaring at the blanket draped over the back of the couch.

The seal tapped his tail against the floor before rocking back onto it, steadying himself against the sofa. Mikleo stretched himself out snapping at the end of the blanket before he managed to get it. Sorey pressed his lips together to keep from laughing, turning back to the mantı. He spooned yoghurt into the bowls before adding spoonfuls of mantı into each of them. He lingered long enough to grab a spoon for himself and a handful of napkins before he made his way over to where Mikleo was setting up their picnic area.

Mikleo was carefully unfolding the blanket, guiding each corner back before returning to get the next one. Sorey let him finish, knowing better than to try and help. It might take a little bit longer, but Mikleo saw nothing wrong with that. He was perfectly content to take the time as a seal. When he was done, Mikleo retreated to one end of the blanket, rocking to one side to slap at his stomach again.

Sorey shuffled forward, shaking his head when Mikleo increased the speed of his slapping. “Okay, okay, I hear you. You can’t be that excited.”

Mikleo fixed him with a look, but dropped back down as Sorey set the bowl in front of him. Mikleo stretched his head out over it, taking a deep breath before shivering. Sorey took that as approval.

He took his own spoonful, taking a bit of the mantı and letting it sit on his tongue. He made a face, testing out the flavor before shrugging and swallowing. “We might have to play a bit more with the sauce and maybe the spices. But I would give it a pass.”

Mikleo dipped his head, delicately taking a few bites. He tipped his head back, Sorey watching as Mikleo’s tongue darted out to lick at the sauce that stuck to his whiskers. Mikleo’s reply came as a long, pleased rumble, the seal dipping his head again.

Sorey bent to his own bowl, savoring the warm mantı and the sunlight that they were sitting in. In the distance, he could hear the ever present thunder of the surf and the seabirds. He was sure that most of the selkies on Elysia would be taking advantage of the day to sun and swim, which made it all the better.

He looked back at Mikleo as the seal dabbed his muzzle against the napkins, Mikleo pausing to give him an adoring look before going back to eating. Sorey shifted so he could rest his hand on one of Mikleo’s flippers, enjoying the simple pleasures of warm food in his stomach, warm fur under his hand, and a loving husband.


End file.
